


Duality

by metaluna



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: F/F, Lesbian AU, Light Smut, Vampires, Werewolves, slight angst but not full edward cullen levels of angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:28:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 37,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26433403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/metaluna/pseuds/metaluna
Summary: After nearly a century as a vampire, Gigi finally begins to settle down with Crystal, a beautiful human, never so content in her undead life. Seemingly out of nowhere, a group of strangers arrive with a string of deaths following them. Gigi dealt with werewolves in the past, but never so many. Will they threaten the life that she has worked so hard to build?
Relationships: Gigi Goode/Crystal Methyd, Jackie Cox/Jan Sport
Comments: 142
Kudos: 130





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! This started as brainstorming with Juno (who is my biggest cheerleader, beta reader, and brainstormer) that became a prompt on Tumblr. Before long, I created an entire universe. That, coupled between being the weird vampire girl in high school, this was inevitable. Enjoy.
> 
> Just as always, thank you so much to Juno for being a queen, beta reading, brainstorming, and cheering me on <3

_1927_

“Georgiana! Eleanor! Are you ready yet?” their mother called from downstairs.

“Just a moment, Mother!” Nora called back. “Gigi, we’re going to be late to your own wedding celebration!”

“We will be on time,” Gigi murmured as her sister brushed her cornsilk hair as she sat at her vanity. “Besides, what are they going to do? Ask me to leave?”

Both girls laughed. “You’re so beautiful, Gigi. James is a very lucky man.”

“I’m nervous to be married,” Gigi admitted, shifting anxiously in the stool. “Sometimes I wonder if I love him.”

Eleanor gasped. “Georgiana Goode! You love your fiance, you’re going to marry him and become Georgiana Rossini, you’re going to have lots of little babies, and you’ll grow old together.”

“Do you think so?” Gigi nervously asked as she put a barrette in her delicate curls.

“I know so.” Nora gasped. “I almost forgot. I got you a gift!”

“You didn’t have to do that for me.”

“Oh, but I did. Close your eyes.”

Gigi did as instructed as she held her hands out. She felt her sister place a small box wrapped in brown paper with a small yellow bow on top. 

“Open it.”

“Okay.” Gigi wanted to rip the box open in excitement, but instead took her time, delicately removing the bow and unwrapping the paper. 

Inside the box was a silver chain with ornate detailing around a pearl. 

“Oh, Nora, it’s beautiful!” 

“Let me put it on you.”

Pulling her hair to the side, Gigi felt the cold silver touch her neck as she examined her appearance in the vanity’s mirror. “It looks even more beautiful around my neck. Thank you, dear sister.”

“Maybe this can be your ‘something new’ for your wedding?” Nora suggested.

Gigi smiled as she traced the detailing of the pendant. “I already planned on it.”

“Girls! We are going to be late!” their mother called.

“Coming!” they called in unison. 

Nora wrapped Gigi in a hug as Gigi gazed at her reflection in the vanity mirror. “Yellow really is your color.”

Gigi grinned. “Let’s go. Mother’s going to murder us!”

Gigi was relieved when James suggested that they arrive at the party separately. She knew that it was going to be one of the last times with her family before she was a married woman. The party was to be at her fiance’s home, which was only a short car ride away. The entire time, Gigi and Nora were abuzz about the evening's festivities. 

Whenever Gigi went to her fiance’s home, she couldn’t help but feel out of place. She wasn’t quite sure what business James and his father were in. Anytime Gigi tried to bring it up, James quickly changed the subject, as did his father. Whatever business they were in allowed for a comfortable life and a house with so many rooms, Gigi couldn’t begin to count them.

The party was held in the gardens, which were expertly decorated by James’ mother. Lights were strung through the trees as a plethora of yellow flowers lined the pathway. An impressive spread of food was on display as a band played in the background. Gigi and Nora looked at each other, their faces full of wonderment. 

“Wow,” Gigi exhaled. “It’s beautiful.”

“It is, isn’t it?” a familiar voice said. “Hello, my love.”

Gigi turned around to see James, who looked dapper in his well-tailored suit. The yellow tie he was wearing matched Gigi’s dress. Nora made sure that James knew what Gigi planned on wearing. Although Nora probably didn’t need to tell him, everyone knew Gigi’s favorite color was yellow. 

“You look so handsome, darling.” Gigi tenderly stroked her fiance’s cheek.

“I have my own family to entertain, so enjoy the night, both of you. I will check in on you later."

“Where did Mother and Father go?” Nora asked as she scanned the gardens. 

Gigi shrugged, taking her sister’s hand. “Let’s go!”

The night was much more fun than Gigi could have ever imagined. She and her sister sat enjoying each other’s company until one of James’ cousins approached Nora.

“Eleanor,” he greeted.

Nora’s face flushed. “Hello, John.”

“Would you like to dance?” he held out a hand, which Nora nervously took. 

“I’m going to go get something to drink. Don’t have too much fun,” Gigi teased.

Making her way to the refreshment table, Gigi was stunned by the sheer amount of food on the linen-clad table. Eyeing the various cakes, Gigi looked down at her figure and thought about every time James complimented her slender frame, and opted for a the lemonade in an ornate glass bowl. 

As she reached for the ladle, she felt someone’s presence behind her. Taking a sip, she turned around and saw who was staring at her. It was a beautiful woman she’d never seen before. Gigi knew that James had a large family, so she figured the woman was one of his distant cousins. 

“Hello,” Gigi smiled shyly.

“Congratulations, dear!” The woman spoke with an accent, which surprised Gigi, who had never met anyone who wasn’t from Chicago.

Something about the woman made Gigi nervous, no not nervous, intrigued. She tucked a strand of hair behind her hair as she said, “Are you one of James’ cousins?”

“Something like that. I’m Nicolette, but you may call me Nicky.”

“Okay, Nicky. I’m Gigi.”

“I know.” Nicky glanced at the banner that had her name on it.

“Oh,” Gigi said as she felt the blood rush to her face. “Of course. You have a very exotic accent. You aren’t from Chicago, are you?”

She shook her head. “I am from France originally.”

“I’ve never met anyone from France!” Gigi raised her voice excitedly before putting her hand over her mouth, suddenly remembering every time James told her ladies were supposed to be quiet in public. “That is so very interesting.”

It wasn’t just where Nicky was from Gigi found interesting. There was something about Nicky that intrigued Gigi greatly. She wasn’t sure what it was, it could have been the woman’s dress, which was much more fashion-forward than her own conservative frock. It might have been the woman’s accent, or the way she confidently held her body. 

Everything about the woman was an enigma. Nicky was a stark contrast from the cookie cutter housewives-to-be from the Midwest. This was proved when the French woman took a cigarette from her purse and lit it. 

Nicky offered one to Gigi, who said. “Oh, no. I was taught proper young ladies shouldn’t smoke.”

“I guess I’m not a ‘proper young lady’,” Nicky said as she took a drag.

“No! I mean... You are. Although, you aren't young. Not that I am saying you're old!” Gigi felt horrified. Whenever she was nervous, she rambled, oftentimes not thinking about her words. “I mean… I think it’s kind of neat.” 

“Neat?”

Gigi nodded. “My fiance smokes and I think it looks very sophisticated.”

“You aren’t happy with him.” Nicky’s tone signified that she was not asking a question.

“Oh, don’t be silly. I love James with all of my heart.”

“Do you?” Nicky locked eyes with Gigi. No matter how hard Gigi tried, she couldn’t hold back the truth.

“I love him, but I do not think that I am _in_ love with him. It’s a smart match. Our families joining together will expand his father’s business. James is going to give me a comfortable life, and I’m going to have babies, and raise a family, which is all I’ve ever wanted.” Gigi covered her mouth with her hands. “No, I didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean any of that. I’m not sure why I just said that.”

Nicky slowly exhaled, enveloping the air with a cloud of smoke. “What if I told you I could take you away and give you a new life?”

Gigi bit her lip. “Do you mean it?”

“Yes.”

“Can I bring my sister?”

“No. You would have to leave everything you know, and everyone in your current life.”

“I can’t leave Nora,” Gigi said as she looked at her sister who was gazing deeply into John’s eyes.

“It’s a shame,” Nicky said as she stomped out the cigarette butt under her stiletto. “I just thought I would offer a more fulfilling life.” 

Fidgeting with her new necklace, she weighed the options in her head. As much as she wanted to have a family, she knew that she would never love James, at least not in the way that a wife should love her husband. Nora and Gigi were primarily raised by nannies growing up, so she wasn’t particularly close to her parents. The only person Gigi couldn’t imagine leaving behind was Nora, her sweet baby sister. 

For her entire twenty-two years, Gigi did as she was told, and what was expected of her. She knew she would never lead a happy life, but rather one that looked perfect only on the outside. 

“Can I have some time to think?” Gigi asked as she continued rubbing her necklace.

“Of course. I will be here all night.”

Once the song finished, Nora ran over to Gigi. “Gigi! Did you see us dancing? Oh, I really fancy him!”

“You look great together, Nora.” The sadness was evident in Gigi’s voice. She knew what she had to do.

“Are you okay, dear sister?” Nora’s blue eyes were full of concern.

Gigi nodded. “I’m just tired.”

“Well, wake up, we have the whole night!”

For the rest of the night, Gigi did her best to enjoy Nora’s company. Every time she looked at Nora, Gigi thought about how it was the last night she would have with her sweet sister. The night consisted of dancing, sneaking sweets, and talking about their futures.

“Gigi, you’re going to be such a good wife!” Nora exclaimed as she and Gigi sat at a table with a large floral centerpiece. 

“You’re going to be a better wife than I ever will be. John is a smart match. I think you should talk to Mother and Father about the prospect of marriage.”

“Marriage? I’m only sixteen!” 

“If you fancy him, you should think about your future. Think about the homemaker you will be, and of all the little babies you’re going to raise,” Gigi felt her voice crack. “You’re incredible, Nora. Please do not forget that.”

“Gigi, why are you talking like that?” 

“My sweet sister. I just want you to know how important you are. Mother and Father care about you, even if it may not seem like it. Be wary of people’s true intentions, but be optimistic, and see the best in each day.” Gigi squeezed her sister’s hand. 

“Georgiana, you are scaring me. Is everything okay? Are you having second thoughts about the marriage?”

“No.” Her voice cracked once more. “I just wanted to share the wisdom I've learned.”

Nora stared directly into her sister’s eyes, knowing exactly what Gigi was thinking. She and Gigi were far too close for there to be any secrets. The sisters knew each other better than they knew themselves. 

“I have to powder my nose.” Gigi pulled Nora into a long hug as she tried to blink away any tears. 

“Please keep in contact,” Nora whispered into her sister’s ear.

“I will try.”

“Where will you go?”

“I don’t know,” Gigi admitted.

“I love you dear, sister.”

“I love you too, Eleanor. Go find John. Dance with him, and have a wonderful evening.”

Nora nodded. “I will.”

When Gigi turned around, Nicky was standing in front of her, her eyes intense. “You’ve made your decision.”

"Yes,” was all Gigi could manage.

“Let’s go.”

“Where will we go?” 

“I’ll explain later.”

With one last look, Gigi watched the life she once knew fade away. She saw James charming a group of women, while her father and future father-in-law were talking in the corner. James' mother and her own mother were laughing as they sat at a table gossiping. And then she saw Nora, who was standing sadly by herself in the shadows. Tears formed as she and Nora locked eyes, as she smiled one last time at Gigi. By the time the French woman led Gigi to a nondescript car, Gigi couldn’t stop crying, and was unable to catch her breath. 

After driving in silence for a few minutes, Gigi finally managed to ask, “Where are we going?”

“As I said, I will explain later.”

Unsatisfied with her answer, Gigi tried to calm her nerves by taking in the passing scenery. Just as she managed to steady her breathing, Nicky parked the car at an abandoned building.

“We’re here,” Nicky said as she opened the car door.

All Gigi could do was think about the mistake she made. She should have stayed at the party with her sister. Even if she didn’t love her fiance, she could have tried. It was as though she’d given up. She could have had a family, which is all she ever wanted. Here she was, about to enter an abandoned building with the distinct feeling that she was in danger. 

The exterior of the building Nicky led Gigi into was old and decrepit, a stark contrast to the inside. The interior of the building was well-decorated with a dark color scheme. All of the windows were blacked out. To Gigi’s surprise, the apartment lacked a kitchen. 

“This is… nice,” Gigi managed.

“Come sit,” Nicky instructed as she sat on a leather sofa. As much as Gigi didn’t want to, just as before, something had come over to her, and she had no choice but to obey.

Sitting across from Nicky, all Gigi could do was stare deeply into the woman’s gray eyes, heart fluttering quickly. Slowly, Nicky made her way closer to Gigi, resting her hand on top of Gigi’s which was shaking.

“Are you nervous?” Nicky asked as she gazed at Gigi.

“Yes,” Gigi whispered.

“Don’t be.” 

At that moment, Gigi wasn’t entirely sure why she decided to go with Nicky. Part of her knew that it was because she truly was not happy with her life, and would never be. Another part of her knew the way she felt about women was wrong, and Gigi had an feeling Nicky understood in a way no one else ever would. Whenever James would kiss her, she felt nothing. None of the supposed fireworks that everyone had spoken so fondly about, but the priest always spoke about homosexuality condemning one to Hell, so she tried her hardest to push the vile thoughts out of her head. 

Nicky tenderly caressed Gigi’s cheek and went in for a light kiss. When she and Gigi’s lips met, the feeling was unlike anything Gigi had ever experienced. The way Nora spoke about kissing boys suddenly made sense. Nicky’s kisses trailed down Gigi’s neck.The intense pleasure turned into a sudden pain. It took a moment for her to realize that Nicky had bit Gigi’s neck. Gigi wanted to scream as she felt the blood run down her neck, but failed to produce any sound. Nicky then bit her own wrist, drawing blood which she then held above Gigi’s mouth. 

“Drink.” Blood was running down the corner of Nicky’s mouth. 

Knowing she would die if she didn’t, Gigi did as instructed. Shortly thereafter, she felt her vision begin to slip.

Gigi sat straight up on the couch with a gasp. It was like when she was a little girl and had a nightmare. Slowly, she recalled the previous night’s events, hoping that it was all a nightmare. Immediately, she knew her hope was in vain as she looked around an apartment she didn’t recognize. 

“Welcome back,” Nicky said, which caused Gigi to jump. She hadn’t realized the woman was sitting in the armchair across from the couch. 

“Am I dead?” 

“Undead.”

Gigi didn’t know how to process what Nicky had just said. Undead? What did that even mean? She reached to fidget with her necklace, which to her horror, was no longer around her neck. “Where’s my necklace?”

“I took it off while you transformed. Silver burns vampires, love.”

“V _ampires_?”

  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On a night at the bar, Gigi meets someone who completely changes her focus, causing her to take a deep look at herself, as well as her own humanity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone! Thank you so much for the positive comments and feedback, y'all are out here clearing my skin from validation. Anyway, lots of death in this chapter, talking about death... vampire funeral home, of course there's death. Enjoy!!!
> 
> As always a huge thank you to Juno, for beta reading, brainstorming with me, and just being so supportive, literally this fic wouldn't exist without her

_93 year later_

Visitations were Gigi’s least favorite part of her job. Normally, she made Jackie sit through them, because consoling humans in one of their most vulnerable states made them look even more pathetic than they already were. Anytime one of them would wail uncontrollably while looking at the body of their grandma, she had to hold back an eyeroll. If only they knew what the alternative to death was. 

Gigi hadn’t fed in a while, calculating mentally, she realized it had been five days since her last feeding. Normally she didn’t wait that long, but she had double the work since Jackie just _had_ to take her wife on vacation. Again. For the third time that month. As she clenched her fist as hard as she could, she had to maintain laser-sharp focus, or she’d drain every individual in the room.

Without realizing it, Gigi was impatiently tapping her foot as she rubbed the smooth surface of her necklace with her thumb. When that didn’t distract her from her thirst, she clenched her fist hoping the sensation of pain would distract her. 

“Are you okay?” one of the family members, the daughter Gigi presumed asked kindly.

“Fine,” Gigi said through gritted teeth.

“I don’t know how you can do this job. I could never see death every day. You made her look really good, though. It’s like she’s sleeping.” 

Even though Gigi would love to suck the woman dry, she took pride in her work. “Thank you. Excuse me, I’ll be back in a moment.”

The second Gigi made her way into the prep room, she exhaled sharply. In the back of the cabinet containing embalming fluid was an insulated lunchbox with a thermos in it. Normally, the blood of the bodies made its way into the drain on the sewers. To a vampire, that was a complete waste of sustenance. Although blood from a dead body was the equivalent of drinking flat soda that had been left in the sun for three days after being dehydrated, it was enough to tide her over until she could hunt. 

Opening the lid of the thermos, she felt her fangs protrude. Greedily, she drank every drop she could manage. Examining her appearance in the mirror, she returned the lunchbox to the cabinet.

“Thanks, Mrs. Hollinger,” Gigi murmured as the door slammed shut behind her. 

“Everything all good?” Jackie, who was in the lobby, asked. 

As much as Gigi didn’t want to have someone work with her at the funeral home, she didn’t have a choice. Even a vampire couldn’t single handedly run a business. It wasn’t that Gigi didn’t like Jackie. She didn’t like anyone with a heartbeat. Of all the people who responded to her job listing, Jackie was the only applicant that wasn't incessantly irritating. Plus, she was good at what she did. Granted, she wasn’t as good at Gigi, but no one was. 

Coming down from the wave of euphoria from feeding, Gigi said, “I left my phone in the prep room. Got it now.”

Jackie raised an eyebrow. “Okay. I can finish the visitation if you want to do the rest of the reports.”

What Gigi appreciated most about Jackie other than the fact that she did her job well, was that she knew that Gigi hated visitations. Never had Gigi been so thankful to be doing paperwork. 

Before she knew it, five o’clock rolled around, which meant the visitation was over, and it was time to close for the evening. Gigi was up to her eyeballs in embalming reports, she didn’t even realize until Jackie knocked on her office door.

“Do you want me to lock up?” Jackie asked.

“No, I got it. Go get dinner with your wife.” Gigi had worked with Jackie long enough to know that every Thursday, Jackie and her wife, Jan went to dinner. 

“Thank you Gigi. See you tomorrow!”

“Have a good evening.”

It wasn’t until Gigi looked down at her palm that she realized how hard she’d clenched her fist earlier in the day. Distinct marks were left behind by each of her nails, but disappeared as she rubbed her palm with her opposite hand. She needed to feed, and as soon as possible. Locking up only took a few minutes, thankfully, and Gigi’s apartment was within walking distance.

Right as Gigi unlocked her door, she was greeted by her cat, who rubbed against her legs. “Hi, Akasha.”

She stood in front of her bathroom mirror as she tried to make her makeup look a little bit more appropriate for someone trying to find company at a bar by lining her eyes heavily with liner, making her blue eyes look all the more brighter. On nights she wanted to feel good about herself, she’d wear tight dresses that left nothing to the imagination. Tonight though, she was so ravenous she changed into the first outfit that wasn’t business casual, a black flowing top with a pair of skin-tight jeans.

“I’ll be home late, don’t wait up for me, baby girl,” she said to Akasha petting her head. 

In her 115 years, there were few things she hated as much as bars. Watching couples grind against each other disgusted Gigi. The only thing that she found slightly entertaining was watching men shoot their shot with women, only to be rejected. If she could get headaches, she knew the pounding bassline from uncreative, manufactured pop music would cause one. Although, she had to admit, getting called _sooo_ pretty by drunk girls was validating. 

Gigi stood with her back against the bar. Scanning the room, she tried to find an easy target. Some vampires had preferences between male or female victims. Gigi leaned toward men most often, as their vessels were larger, making it much easier to get the most blood possible the fastest, but tonight it didn’t matter. She’d waited too long to feed. In her hunt, she didn’t notice the most perfect target standing right next to her. 

The woman was unlike anyone Gigi had ever seen, which was really saying something. Her wild hair was wild, like a bright blue lion’s mane. Her makeup, while done well, was completely outlandish. It was although she tried to challenge herself to use every shade in an eyeshadow palette. The woman’s appearance alone was unusual, but it was her clothing that truly caught Gigi’s eye. Although Gigi wasn’t one for fashion, she was fairly certain no one should be mixing as many patterns as she was. 

“Hey,” the girl greeted.

“Hi,” Gigi said curtly. 

“Can I get you a drink?” the girl shouted over the music. 

Gigi shook her head. “I have to drive later.”

The girl leaned against the bar as Gigi did as she smoothly rubbed against Gigi’s hand, which she held. Never in her years hunting people at bars had anyone made the first move. Everyone was intimidated by her, which is something that she enjoyed. She had to admit, the girl’s boldness was endearing. To keep up with appearances, Gigi held the girl’s hand, rubbing small circles with her thumb.

“I’m Crystal.”

“Gigi.” 

_Shit._

Every time she introduced herself to someone she was about to feed on, she never used her real name. That was one of the first things Nicky told her all those years ago. Why now was she making such a simple mistake? 

“Do you want to get out of here?”

_If only this girl knew she was walking to her death._

Gigi took Crystal’s hand and led her to the alley behind the bar. Generally, Gigi used either the charisma she possessed naturally, or glamoured people into going back to the funeral home for quick cleanup. But, she’d been so busy with the funeral home she’d been relying on the blood of the dead for far too long. She needed to feel blood pulsating into her mouth straight from the vessel.

Immediately, Gigi pulled Crystal into a kiss, which took Crystal by surprise. She knew that leading into a kiss wasn’t necessary, but Nicky had always done it, and it seemed like a nice touch. Normally, the kisses didn’t feel like anything, serving more to gain trust of the human. For some reason, her kisses with Crystal felt incredible. She hadn’t felt this way since she and Nicky slept together when they were bored. 

In the span of her making out with Crystal, she could have easily drained the girl. Something about Crystal made Gigi want to take her time. As she trailed down to her neck, her fangs wouldn't draw. Cutting her losses, she bit Crystal’s neck with her normal teeth, which caused Crystal to moan loudly. Her regular teeth weren’t sharp enough to draw blood in the way she needed. This set Gigi off in a way she’d never felt before. This wasn’t acceptable. This _couldn’t_ happen. 

Gigi broke the kiss and stared into Crystal’s eyes. 

“My apartment’s just down the street,” Crystal offered.

“Crystal, you seem like a really nice girl, and that was incredible, but I have to go.” Gigi walked away before receiving a response. 

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

Gigi didn’t know what she was going to do. She couldn’t go back to the bar and find someone else. Never had Gigi found a human she actually wanted to be around. By this point, she was every negative emotion. Ravenous from thirst, confused about her fangs suddenly not working, and furious at herself that she’d made such a simple mistake. 

The ten minute drive from the bar to her apartment lasted two. She had to get home, and fast.

On particularly bad nights, Gigi liked to have her fun. As much as she hated humans, blindly torturing them for fun wasn’t something she partook in. Someone who deserved the pain, however, she could get behind. 

It wasn’t something she’d done often. The last time was back in the eighties when Nicky left for the last time. 

Perched on the top of her couch, Gigi pulled up the sex offender registry. She found her target. A serial rapist, less than five miles away. Perfect. Gigi got into her car as she typed the address into the GPS. She grinned to herself, thinking about the fun she was about to have. 

After ringing the doorbell, a normal-looking middle-aged man answered the door. “Hello?”

“Hi!” Gigi began, making her voice sound ditzy. “I’m, like, _so_ lost.”

“Oh no, dear, that’s no good. Come on in.” the man smoothed his thinning hair. 

_Disgusting._

“Would you like a drink?” 

“Oh, no thank you. I just need to find out how to get to the red line…. Chicago transportation is, like, _so_ confusing, you know?” 

The way he smirked made Gigi want to snap his neck right then and there.. What a disgusting man. “It’s something that’s for sure.”

Gigi batted her eyelashes. “Any plans tonight?”

The man shifted in his chair nervously. “Nothing… Until now?”

“Wanna have some fun tonight?”

She felt disgusting, but the thought of killing such a vile man would be worth it. 

“Well, young lady, since you’re asking…”

“I”m into some weird shit,” Gigi began.

“Oh?”

“I like to fuck in my daddy’s funeral home right where the dead bodies get made up.”

“I don’t think I can--”

Gigi stared directly into the man’s eyes. “You are going into my car, you are not going to touch me, you won’t even _speak_ to me. You won’t say anything. We are going to the funeral home.”

“We’re going to the funeral home…” he said dreamily. “Who died?”

Gigi didn’t reply as she shut the door. The entire ride to the funeral home, the man had a dazed look in his eye. Humans were so weak-minded. Glamouring people was fun for Gigi, there was nothing like watching a human bend at the knee, willing to do whatever she wished. She parked in the back of the funeral home and unlocked the door to the back. 

“Let’s go,” Gigi demanded. “Out. Now.”

The man did as he was told, and just as Gigi instructed earlier, didn’t say a word. “This way.”

“Uh-huh,” the man said.

“ _Quiet._ ”

Normally, the people she fed from were people who were around the same physical age as she was. The thought of kissing someone who looked like this man was enough to make her disgusted, that, combined with his vile actions, made it simply out of the question. 

“Sit on the table.” Immediately he did as instructed, and sat on the edge of the table. The obedience made Gigi smile wickedly. Humans really were pathetic. 

“Next, you’re going to tell me _exactly_ what you did to those girls.”

“They were so beautiful… they were asking for it and--”

“Wrong answer.”

Baring her fangs, Gigi sank them into the man’s neck, breaking the skin but not going deep into the vein just deep enough to make the man cry out in agony. The euphoric feeling only occurred when blood was actively being drank. She pulled away, making sure to take in the man’s pained expression. His whimpering was pathetic. It was that of a puppy that accidentally got stepped on. 

“Please…” the man begged. “Let me live.”

Gigi exhaled looking at the man’s desperate eyes. His pleas meant nothing to her. There was something about human suffering that she relished. The suffering of a human who deserved it was even better. 

She laughed quietly. “No, no. I don’t think I will.”

Once more, Gigi sank her fangs into the man’s neck. This time, it was on the other side and the bites were much deeper. She made several bites, all avoiding major arteries and veins. The knowledge of human anatomy was quite useful when torturing humans. It was clear that the man wanted to cry out once more, but couldn’t. 

As soon as she was satisfied with the man’s suffering, Gigi sank her fangs into the man one last time into the carotid, her vessel of choice. It had been quite some time she’d fed on someone over the age of thirty. She forgot that the blood started tasting much more bitter. It was as though she was forced to eat her least favorite food out of sheer necessity. 

Shutting her eyes, Gigi imagined that the man was the girl from earlier, Crystal. Gigi was certain Crystal’s blood would be much sweeter in her mouth. She didn’t fantasize about feeding on Crystal alone. She fantasized about ripping her clothes off and seeing her curvy body and… 

She didn’t even realize she’d completely drained the man. Coming down from the euphoria from feeding, Gigi saw just how much of a mess she made. Blood was splattered all over the room, starting on the linoleum, all the way up to the cabinets. Thank God for industrial strength bleach. 

Normally, Gigi was methodical and calculated when she fed. Most times, she was so precise that the puncture marks from her fangs were barely visible, and only a scant amount of blood didn’t end up in her mouth. 

Effortlessly, she brought the man’s corpse into the basement and turned the retort on. The man was rather thin, so it would probably take about an hour and a half for him to be reduced to ash, which was about as long as it would take her to make the prep room presentable again after the mess she made. 

The entire time she cleaned, her thoughts kept going back to Crystal. There was something about the girl that intrigued Gigi. In nearly a century, she’d never felt any sort of attraction toward a human. 

Most humans she found disgusting. Why was she so drawn to a girl that she met once? She pondered as she collected the man’s ashes. 

“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, you’re a terrible human, burn in Hell,” Gigi muttered as she scattered the ashes. 

When she went back to her apartment, Gigi sat on her couch and patted the space next to her, getting Akasha’s attention.. Absentmindedly petting her cat, Gigi still couldn’t get the girl out of her head. With a groan, Gigi stretched on the couch and stared at the ceiling. Why was she thinking about a human? What was wrong with her? She smacked the back of her head against the couch hard enough that it would hurt a human. 

Never sleeping was terrible for a chronic overthinker. Gigi never got to shut her brain down, instead, it constantly ran like a neverending machine. There were not enough bad B-horror movies in the world to occupy her mind. 

Finally, it was 6 A.M., an acceptable time for humans to go on a run. Even though Gigi wouldn’t explode or sparkle in the direct sunlight, if she was in it too long, she’d get the world’s worst sunburn, so she tried to go before the sun rose. Just to be sure, she always ran in long sleeves and pants.

Five miles later, Gigi returned to her apartment, thankful she didn’t sweat anymore. Looking at the clock, she saw she had an hour to get ready for work. She had no idea why she always looked, at the time. It took the same amount of time for her to get ready, and she had her routine down like clockwork. 

The next step in her morning was to make herself look, well, not dead. If Gigi didn’t give herself ample time to get ready, she’d look like one of the corpses on her table. Her skin was so pale it was translucent, blue veins visible through the skin with heavy bags under her eyes. Half of Gigi’s makeup bag looked like normal, everyday products like eyeliner and mascara. The other half were products that belonged at the funeral home. It was the only makeup that could cover her veins.

It was a process to paint her entire body, so most of the time, she wore sleeves. On the nights where she wanted to look provocative at the bar, it was dark enough inside that she could get away with just painting her face and neck. Gigi would hardly call herself a makeup artist, but she had to admit, she was good. It was no easy feat to go from looking dead to looking human. To be fair, she was good at almost everything. 

By the time she got to the funeral home, Jackie was already there. Gigi reassured Jackie every time that it wasn’t necessary for her to arrive before 8, but she insisted. 

“Morning,” Jackie greeted.

“Good morning.”

“So, I was just checking everything over before we opened for the day… One of the prep rooms looked… off.”

_Shit._

“Off? How do you mean?”

All Gigi could do was think about the possible spots she could have missed cleaning. She triple checked to make sure that the room was spotless. But, as careless as she was last night, she wouldn’t be surprised if she left evidence. 

Jackie motioned for Gigi to follow her. When the lights to the prep room flickered open, Gigi looked around and saw nothing. 

“What do you mean?” Gigi asked.

Jackie pointed to one of the cabinets that was propped open. Gigi breathed a sigh of relief. Leaving the cabinet with the cleaning products open was hardly anything to worry about. 

“It’s just a cabinet, Jackie.”

“I just figured you’d want to know, considering that time I moved the aneurysm hooks, you lectured me for like fifteen minutes that things had their places, and that the rooms had to be left the way they were when I came into them.”

Jackie wasn’t wrong. Gigi liked everything a specific way. Everything had its place, especially in her safe haven. She had to admit, had it been Jackie who left the cabinet open, she would have been frustrated.

“Two completely different things.”

“How… Nevermind. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, Jackie,” Gigi’s tone was short.

“I”m sorry. I just don’t really know how it was open like that.”

Gigi shrugged. “Maybe I left it open. I don’t remember.”

“You? Leaving a _cabinet_ open? Who are you?” Jackie laughed.

Gigi forced a laugh. “I suppose I was just tired.”

The day was uneventful at best, at least to Gigi. Any human would disagree. Seeing a dead sixteen year old boy hit by a drunk driver mangled beyond recognition would disturb most. Not Gigi. Thank God the family didn't want an open casket; there was no possibility the boy would look presentable, despite her skill in her trade. 

Once she finished, dissatisfied with the boy’s appearance, she shut the door, where Jackie was standing. 

“You okay?” Jackie asked gently.

“Yes?” Gigi raised an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“He was so young… It's sad.”

“Oh. Yes. Very sad.”

Jackie smiled. “You do good work. I’m sure you’ll bring the family a lot of closure.”

“It’s a closed casket,” Gigi said, walking away, feeling Jackie’s judgmental stare. 

As she sat in her office, fidgeting with the gold chain around her neck. Gigi couldn’t get Crystal out of her head. Not just Crystal, the entirety of the events that unveiled the previous night. Why didn’t her fangs draw? Why was she still thinking about a human? What was wrong with her?

All Gigi knew was that old man blood was not nearly as satisfying as the blood of a healthy young person. Biting her lip, she sighed. Feeding two days in a row was not something she enjoyed doing. It was a _lot_ of work. Far too much work for a 115 year old woman. 

Gigi wasn’t sure why she was having such an odd couple of days. For some reason, Crystal made her think about humans as a whole. There wasn’t a single human that she thought of for more than a moment. Even thoughts of Jackie only came up at work, or when thinking about work. But, here she was distracted so much so that she couldn’t focus on her reports. 

Tapping her pen against her desk, she realized it wasn’t Crystal she was thinking about. It was her own humanity.

Humanity was something that Gigi struggled with since she was cursed with immortality. Her thoughts on humans changed drastically through the past few decades. When she was first turned, all she could do was feel jealousy toward them. They got everything she didn’t, they got to raise a family, they got to have a life without hiding, and they got to die. 

Eventually, her jealousy led to hatred, so much so that Gigi could barely speak to humans without an extreme urge to drain them dry. As much as she tried, she couldn’t remember why she began to hate them in the first place, other than the fact that she was on the apex predator. Humans were weak, merely a form of sustenance.

But what if they weren’t? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, follow me on tumblr @themetaluna, where I post outtakes from time to time but mainly scream about this fic at 3 AM. It's a good time, I promise.


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reflecting on an interesting day at work, Gigi goes to the bar with no intention of seeing a certain human.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Not much to say about this chapter other than a tw for implied suicide.
> 
> As always a huge thank you to Juno, for beta reading, brainstorming with me, and just being so supportive, literally this fic wouldn't exist without her and also thank you to @crygijankiedoll-rps for helping me with the smut xoxo

A few days later, Gigi sat in her office deep in her thoughts which were rushing through her head all at once to the point that she could barely keep up with them. The same string of thoughts were replaying themselves. The thoughts didn’t lead to Crystal, or any of the events from the night at the bar. They all led back to her humanity.

When Gigi was first turned, Nicky would constantly mock her for her sympathy toward humans. The first time she had to feed, she sobbed for two days, and starved herself for a week, only able to think about the look of fear in the woman’s eyes as the life faded from her body. Sometime in the past few decades, the empathy she held toward humans faded away entirely. 

The more she thought about it, the more Gigi realized, it wasn’t that her humanity went away on its own, she forced it down deep inside of herself. There was no way she could be a killer if she maintained her sense of empathy that she had as a human, was there?

Why now, after nearly a century were all these emotions bubbling back up to the surface?

She knew the answer.

_Crystal._

There was something about Crystal that made Gigi think of humans as more than an annoyance or a food source. She wasn’t sure what it was about the girl that had Gigi so intrigued, but she didn’t like it, just like she didn’t like thinking about her humanity. 

Maybe she could attempt to be more human. As human as a 115 year old vampire could be, anyway.

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

Jackie walked into Gigi’s office nervously. 

“Do you need something, Jackie?” 

Jackie looked away. “Can you please do me a favor?”

“Maybe?”

“So, you know how I have a hard time with the visitations of kids and teenagers…?” Jackie trailed off. 

Gigi groaned.

“I’ll do your filing for a week.”

“I’ll do it,” Gigi replied instantly.

“I’ll do your filing if… and only _if,_ the family doesn’t request that I come in instead. So you better be on your best behavior.”

“I’ll be nothing short of a saint,” Gigi promised. 

If nothing else, this could help Gigi practice her empathy toward humans. 

By the time Gigi went inside the visitation room, the casket had already been moved into place. The girl had died of an overdose that the family swore was accidental. Gigi, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure. Humans would much rather be in denial than to admit the truth. The mother even went on a tangent about how her daughter had been having a hard time in school before quickly changing the subject to the color of the floral arrangements. 

Humans liked to claim that their loved ones looked like they were sleeping when they saw them in an open casket. This annoyed Gigi. Nothing about this girl looked like she was asleep. No matter how good Gigi was at what she did, the corpses were dead. They looked dead. Not asleep. 

Whenever there was a sixteen-year-old girl, Gigi couldn’t help thinking about her sister. Even if this girl’s appearance was the opposite of her Nora’s. As she set boxes of tissues on the chairs lining the room, she began thinking about Nora’s sixteenth birthday. 

Somehow she still remembered the day perfectly.

Gigi was so deep in her thoughts, she didn’t see the first person arrive. It was a girl, who looked to be a few years older than the body who Gigi assumed was her sister. The resemblance between her and the pictures Gigi was given was striking. The girl was dressed in an oversized flannel and jeans, with her hair in a messy bun. 

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t hear you enter,” Gigi said.

“It’s okay,” the girl’s voice cracked. “I’m sorry I’m early. I just wanted to see her before anyone else.”

“Don’t worry about it.” 

Quickly, Gigi looked at the sign to see what the girl’s name was. Rarely did she remember. _Nia._

“Are you Nia’s sister?” Gigi asked, walking over to the girl.

The girl nodded. “I’m Olivia.”

“Gigi.”

The girl stepped up to the casket. “Can you like… stand next to me? I’ve never seen a dead body, and this is weird. Especially because it’s her...”

“Of course.” 

_Off to a good start_. Maybe this would be easier than she thought. 

“Thank you. It’s so weird, like… I was always told that they look like they’re sleeping… Mom said she’d look like she’s sleeping. She doesn’t look like she’s sleeping. There’s something too still, I think that’s the problem. I don’t know… But she looks good though. You took good care of her.”

“Thank you.” 

As the girl gently stroked her sister’s hair, Olivia started crying. No, not crying, sobbing. Normally, this is the point Gigi took a step back. Instead, she stayed by her side and handed her a box of tissues. 

“Thank you,” she whispered. 

Just as it seemed as though Olivia was calming down, she started crying harder than before. Gigi comfortingly rubbed the girl’s back. In response, the girl hugged Gigi. She didn’t hug Olivia back, but simply stood as the girl got tears on her favorite shirt. 

“Sorry,” Olivia mumbled as she pulled away.

“It’s okay.”

“I can’t believe my baby sister is gone,” Olivia whispered.

Gigi could only take so much in one day, and by now wasn’t sure how to comfort the girl, other than with honesty. As she led Olivia to a chair she said, “I’m sorry. This is horrible, but it gets easier, the grief you’re feeling. Soon, you’ll be able to think about the good memories, instead of seeing her like this.”

“Really?”

Gigi nodded. The two of them sat together wordlessly until others started to file in the room. 

“Thank you for listening to me,” Olivia said, hugging Gigi once more.

Gigi hugged back this time. “Of course.” 

With the visitation well under way, Gigi took her spot in the back corner as she watched the family interact with one another. Nia’s loved ones were overcome with grief. Somehow, the entire time, Olivia managed to not only remain calm, but also was able to calm down her family members.

Right as Gigi was watching Olivia and another girl her age talk, Gigi felt the familiar urge to feed. She shut her eyes and clenched her first, desperately trying to ground herself. 

_Not now._

Somehow, Olivia noticed and came over. “Gigi? Are you okay?”

Gigi nodded. “Just ate something bad at lunch, I guess. Give me a minute?”

She walked off before waiting for a response. Once she made it into the prep room, she swirled the blood like a glass of wine. The thought of drinking the blood of someone who she knew something about made it almost difficult to drink. Almost. 

The rest of the visitation was uneventful, but the entire time, Gigi kept watch over Olivia, making sure that she was okay. 

Before she left, Olivia approached Gigi. “Thank you again. For everything.”

Gigi smiled as the girl walked away, not realizing Jackie was watching.

“Wow, you didn’t get a single complaint! Also, I could tell you were really good to that girl.”

“I just hate filing. That’s all,” Gigi said coolly as she walked away. 

Even though Gigi knew that she had a lot of work to do, she sat at her desk, thinking. Absentmindedly tapping her pen against her desk, all she could do was think about the the past few hours.

Gigi knocked on the door of Jackie’s office. “Would you like to go home early? I have plans.”

Jackie raised an eyebrow. “You? Plans?”

“Do you want to go home or not?” Gigi snapped.

Jackie laughed. “Yes. It’s date night.”

“Every night with you and your wife is date night.”

“Come over for dinner sometime. Jan loves to cook and always makes way too much.”

  
  


Usually on the nights that Gigi had to hunt, she didn’t get ready as soon as she got home. Tonight was different, and she hated that it was because the thought of seeing Crystal excited her. She didn’t even know if Crystal would be there. For all she knew, she was getting her hopes up for nothing. 

Normally, she did her makeup similarly to how she would do the makeup on a body of someone her age. It was natural and simple, but with some added eyeliner. Tonight she decided to do something new. Gigi hadn’t worn elaborate makeup since the 1980’s when she had her Madonna phase. As she opened the single eyeshadow palette in her possession, she realized she had no idea how to do makeup the way girls did in this decade.

Thank God for the Internet. Three and a half makeup tutorials later, Gigi was well-versed in cut creases and halo eyes. 

Watching the makeup tutorials passed the time. By the time she finished, she was right on schedule. Staring into her closet, Gigi realized she suddenly hated every article of clothing she owned, eventually settling on a fitted leather jacket over a tank top. 

Just as she always did, she took her same spot at the bar as she watched the patrons interact with one another. After silently judging the passerby, she found her mark, an athletically-built man who was a few years older than Gigi’s physical age. 

Just as she was about to make her move, she felt a tap on the shoulder. Gigi was pleased to see Crystal standing in front of her. Taking her in from head to toe, Gigi saw how beautiful she looked, and appreciated her bravery in outfits and makeup. 

“Hey!” Crystal greeted. “You’re out again.”

“So are you.”

“What happened the other night?” 

Gigi shrugged. “Sorry about that. I realized that I had to go feed my cat, and now that I’m saying that, I’m hearing just how pathetic that sounds.”

Crystal laughed. “Your cat caused you to run away directly after making out with me and then biting down on my neck like a fucking vampire?”

Gigi stared at Crystal.

“I’m kidding.” 

Gigi forced a laugh as she sat on a barstool. “I know.”

Crystal took the stool next to hers. “I’m glad it wasn’t me that made you run away.”

_It was 100 percent you._

“Of course it wasn’t!” 

“Good,” Crystal smiled. 

After an awkward silence, Gigi asked, “Do you want a drink?”

“Sure.”

“What do you drink?”

“Jack and coke.”

Gigi waved the bartender down. “Two Jack and cokes please.”

Alcohol had absolutely no effect on a vampire. In fact, it tasted disgusting as most human food did. She’d only drank it a handful of times for appearance sake. Normally it was champagne or wine, she’d never had whiskey before, or Coke the way it was now. The thought of things being sweetened with corn instead of sugar was disturbing to Gigi. 

The bartender set the two drinks on the bar as Gigi set a twenty on the table. Money accumulated when one had unlimited time and a high-paying job. 

“Keep the change,” Gigi instructed. 

“You tip so generously. You must be in the service industry.”

“Kind of,” Gigi said as she tentatively took a sip of the drink. Gigi had no idea what to expect, but she fully didn’t expect it to taste like fizzy paint thinner. As much as she tried, she couldn’t hide her facial expression.

“Not a whisky person?”

“Not quite.”

“You didn’t have to order what I ordered,” Crystal laughed. 

“I’m not a big drinker. I never know what to order.”

“Got it. Also, how do you kind of work in the service industry?” 

Gigi tapped the rim of the glass. “I’m a funeral director.” 

“I mean, you’re servicing dead people.” Crystal realized how her words sounded. “Oh, shit. I mean. Uh…”

This made Gigi laugh. “I know what you mean.”

“Excuse me, I have to go walk off a cliff.”

Never had Gigi met a human she actually liked, even Jackie she merely tolerated. But, for some reason there was something about Crystal that drew her like a moth to a flame. Between that, and her attempt to be less callous, she was interested in continuing the conversation. 

“No, don’t do that, you’re far too interesting.”

“You’re pretty interesting yourself,” Crystal said as she took a sip. 

“You think so?”

Gigi had been called many things over the past century, but “interesting” was never one.

“Well, first of all, you work at a funeral home, which is cool as hell, second, you’re probably the baddest bitch here, and it’s like you don't even know it.”

_Yes I do._

“What do you do for work?” Gigi asked, not knowing quite how to respond to Crystal’s compliment. 

“I’m an art curator.”

“You look like you work at an art museum,” GIgi said.

“Is that a good thing?” 

“Yes.” Gigi had no idea what possessed her to ask the next question that came out of her mouth. “Do you want to get out of here?”

“Promise you won’t run away for your cat?”

Gigi smiled, slinging her handbag over her shoulder. “If we’re at my apartment, you can meet my cat.” 

“I do love cats… Let’s go.”

The drive to Gigi’s apartment was mainly silent. Halfway through, Crystal placed her hand on Gigi’s thigh and continued to move her hand upward, rubbing deliberate circles with her thumb.

“You’re so cold,” Crystal mused.

“I’m _always_ cold.”

“Just like your bodies.”

Gigi couldn’t help but smile at the offhand comment. “Something like that.”

Crystal continued rubbing small circles as Gigi shifted in her seat. While Gigi had sex in the past, it had been roughly two decades. The thought of possibly having sex soon made her nervous, which was a rare emotion. Why was she thinking about sex? For all she knew, nothing was going to happen... But what if it did?

Before she could think about it for too long, they arrived at Gigi's apartment.

Gigi had just barely shut the door before Crystal started kissing her, the force behind Crystal’s kisses surprised her. Gigi blindly led them to her bedroom as she took off Crystal's dress, tossing it aside, admiring her full breasts as she began gently playing with her nipples, focusing her attention on the one that was pierced, the silver jewelry glinting in the light filtering in from the window. As she guided Crystal onto her back _,_ beginning a trail of kisses starting on Crystal’s neck, she felt her fangs protrude. 

_Fuck._

Thankfully, Gigi managed to retract them as she pulled away.

“Everything okay?” Crystal asked breathily.

Gigi nodded in response.

Crystal bit her lip. “Can I make a request?” 

“Yes.”

“Rougher. Make me fucking hurt. Make me _bleed_.”

“That can certainly be arranged.” The look in Gigi’s eye had become that of a predator eyeing its prey.

Immediately, Gigi pinned Crystal against the bed, who tried to fight back. Crystal’s fighting was in vain, a human’s strength paled in comparison to that of a vampire’s. Gigi had such a tight grip on Crystal’s wrists, she’d cut off the circulation if she maintained the pressure too long. The power imbalance excited Gigi, who returned her attention back to the inviting column of Crystal’s neck. 

“You like kissing necks, don’t you?” The question was innocent, a mere observation _._

“I like biting necks.” 

Gigi knew her next move was a risk, but she bared her fangs. If nothing else, she could glamour the girl and it would be like nothing ever happened. The thought of glamouring Crystal wasn’t appealing, but if she had to do so to keep the girl from panicking, she would do it without a second thought. 

Crystal sat up, completely fixated “What… Are _those_?”

“Remember when you said I bit your neck like a vampire?” 

Crystal only nodded in response, unable to look away from Gigi’s fangs. 

“You’re taking this rather calmly,” Gigi mused.

Crystal’s face flushed. “I may have a few… fetishes.” 

“Do you now, darling?”

Crystal nodded again. 

Gigi raised an eyebrow, lips pouting seductively, making sure her fangs were on full display _._ “Do you want me to keep going?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want me to bite you?”

Crystal took a moment to reply. “Yes. I think so.”

“You _think_ so?” This was not a good enough answer for Gigi.

“I want you to.”

“Are you absolutely certain?” Crystal didn’t respond, the silence lingered between them before Gigi spoke again. “You need to use your words, darling.”

“Do it. Please.”

Regardless of what Crystal replied, Gigi knew she wasn’t completely sure what she was consenting to. It had _always_ been a desire of Gigi to fuck a girl while drinking from her. Nicky always told her how incredible it was, but Gigi had never become close enough to a human to do so.

Crystal had closed her eyes in anticipation for what was to come. At first, Gigi was going to bite Crystal’s neck, the spot in which she was fixated earlier but then she got another idea. She stroked Crystal’s thighs as Crystal opened them in eagerly as she arched her back, lifting her hips to make it easier for Gigi to remove her thong. 

Remembering Crystal’s request, Gigi ripped the delicate lace thong as if it were made of paper and threw the remains on the hardwood floor. Gigi started kissing Crystal’s inner thigh, lightly running her fangs up and down, licking the small droplets of blood left behind, stopping just before Crystal’s entrance, which she teased with her fingertips, feeling just how wet the other girl was.

“Oh, darling is all of this for me?” Gigi licked at her fingers, savoring the taste, only imagining how incredible her sweet blood would taste. 

“Just do it,” Crystal moaned.

“As you wish.”

Gigi sank her fangs into Crystal’s thigh as she entered Crystal with three fingers with no resistance, Crystal’s euphoric moan was music to Gigi’s ears as her blood flowed steadily into her mouth. Although she took more than she initially planned, Gigi ensured Crystal wouldn’t die of blood loss as she paused her drinking to murmur to the writhing girl below her. 

“Oh, you have no idea what that moaning does to me.” 

It didn’t take Crystal long to finish, between the euphoria of her blood being drunk, in addition to Gigi’s skillful fingers building her up to her climax, Gigi didn’t have time to use her tongue, much to her disappointment. As much as Gigi wanted Crystal to fuck her, between the blood loss and the intensity of her orgasm, Crystal instantly fell into a deep sleep, her body drained from everything it had endured. 

_God, I missed sex_ , Gigi thought as she covered Crystal with the blankets and lightly shut the bedroom door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow my tumblr @themetaluna, where I post headcannons, things that don't fit in the fic that I really like, and scream about this fic at 3 am


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *stefon from saturday night live voice* this chapter has everything, awkward morning afters, time jumps, anniversary sex, and fluff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi hello! i don’t really have much to say about this other than i’m sorry it’s kind of all over the place. like i said, crystal and gigi’s relationsihp and how they get together is not the focus of this fic (that being said, i can totally write more of their first year together if y’all want)
> 
> as always, thank you to juno for beta reading and brainstorming and cheering me on

When Crystal woke up, there was a quilt delicately draped over her body. The events of the previous night were foggy. As she thought about it further, she wasn’t sure if she was remembering correctly. Crystal remembered going home with Gigi, and remembered having sex. Amazing sex. But, halfway through, she could have sworn that Gigi bit her leg, and upon thinking even further, could have sworn Gigi said she was a vampire. 

_ Impossible. _

Crystal sat up and looked around. It was still dark outside, meaning she could probably step away, unnoticed, and could try her best to forget about the fact she may or may not have slept with a fucking vampire. She carefully put her dress on, looking at the torn-up thong on the ground, with a sigh. It was her favorite. Crystal realized Gigi was nowhere to be found, but the door was shut, and she could see the light coming from underneath.

Crystal knew her plans of sneaking out without Gigi noticing were slim, but she tried to formulate a game plan. She looked out the window, but then remembered they were on the third floor. For a second, Crystal tried to determine how injured she would get if she jumped out of a third story window. 

There was no other way than to just walk through the front door. It was a one-night stand, what did Gigi expect?

She slowly opened the door, and saw that Gigi was sitting on the couch, petting a cat, watching a movie. Crystal knew it was stupid, but she tried her best to sneak behind Gigi, who appeared to be engrossed in the movie

Gigi turned her head as Crystal swore silently. “You’re awake.”

“Uh-huh. I was just leaving…” 

“Why?” Gigi asked, genuinely curious.

“You’re joking, right?” Gigi raised an eyebrow. “You don’t have a lot of one-night stands, do you?” 

Gigi shook her head.

“Well, generally, one doesn’t stay and chat afterwards. In fact, ideally, the person who the apartment doesn’t belong to can wake up before the other person, and can leave, never to be seen again.” 

“What do you remember about last night?” Gigi asked.

“I remember you tearing my thong off of me. I remember that the sex was  _ incredible _ . But, I remember something weird… But I probably just had a dream or something.”

“What do you supposedly remember?” 

“You had… fangs… You asked for me to consent, like, a lot, which is great. Consent is key. Anyway, you said you were… a vampire. Which, like, isn’t possible. Vampires aren’t real.”

“They’re not?” 

To Crystal’s surprise, after Gigi smiled as two fangs slid down from where her canines were.

“What the fuck?” Crystal whispered.

“If you’d like, I can make you forget about everything. This past night, my vampirism, me as a whole…”

Crystal bit her lip as she weighed the pros and cons. The pros included she’d forget about vampires existing. The cons were that she’d forget quite possibly the best sex she’d ever had, and that she’d forget about vampires existing. 

“No…” Crystal trailed off.

“Are you certain?”

Crystal shook her head. “But uh, I think I’m going to leave to process this.”

“That’s understandable.”

“Do you uh, want my number? Honestly that was great sex. I’m down to fuck again.”

Gigi smirked. “I’m glad to know that it was good. I’ve unfortunately been in about a twenty-year dry spell.”

Crystal was taken aback. “When I process this can we maybe talk? About… things? If you want? Or you can just fuck me again… If you want.”

“Are you serious?” Gigi asked incredulously. “You’re asking me to fuck you again when you passed out once you came last night?”

Crystal flushed. “You’re right. Do you want my number or not?”

“I wouldn’t be opposed,” Gigi said, petting the cat next to her as she handed Crystal her phone. 

As Crystal handed back her phone, Gigi stifled a laugh. “Your name is  _ not  _ Crystal Methyd.” 

Once again, Crystal flushed. “My parents hate me… Anyway. This was… something. Call me. If you want. Or don’t. I’m sure you’re busy… With whatever it is you do.”

“Servicing dead bodies?” Gigi smirked, repeating Crystal’s comment from the previous night.

“Yeah. That. Okay, bye.”

Gigi didn’t know how a human was going to react when told they just had sex with a vampire. She thought she was going to have to glamour the girl, thinking that she would be traumatized. To Gigi’s surprise, Crystal not only was calm about the entire situation, but also seemed intrigued. Again, proving Crystal was not like other humans. 

Akasha meowed as she rubbed her head against Gigi’s hand.

“I know, Akasha. For the first time in nearly a century, I'm at a loss.”

In an attempt to get her mind off of Crystal and the events of the night, Gigi decided to watch  _ The Lost Boys _ . She began thinking more about Crystal, not realizing that the movie had ended.

Shutting the TV off, she looked at her phone. It was still on the contacts screen. Crystal wrote her name as  _ Crystal Methyd  _ with the blood drop emoji after it. She decided to text her so Crystal could save her number, at least that’s what she told herself, even though she didn’t fully believe it. 

_ Hello. This is Gigi. I just figured you would want to have my number, too. _

Checking the time, it was only five in the morning, meaning Crystal was probably asleep. Considering Gigi drank enough blood to nearly kill Crystal, she more than likely would need to sleep it off. 

To Gigi’s surprise, Crystal texted back ten minutes later. 

_ oh hi! it’s good to hear from you! tbh i thought you were gonna ghost me  _

Gigi wasn’t sure why Crystal didn’t capitalize anything in her sentences. Why wouldn’t anyone use proper grammar? It’s not like it was hard. 

_ Are you feeling okay? You should probably get some sleep. If I’m being honest, I took a little bit more blood than I intended. Heat of the moment.  _

_ omg i cant believe a hot vampire almost killed me purely from being too horny. anyway yea i just happened to wake up for a sec and saw the notif _

_ I… honestly don’t know how to respond to that, because you are 100 percent correct. Which I hate.  _

_ lmaoo usually i take at LEAST two days to text a girl, and at minimum three to ask her out. but, do you wanna meet up later?  _

Gigi was genuinely shocked at Crystal’s confidence.

_ That sounds wonderful, I had nothing planned today.  _

_ how about the park? what time is good for you? also wont you like burst into flames or something if it’s daytime? _

_...I don’t sleep. Also, you can’t believe every myth about vampires you hear in popular culture. I don’t particularly enjoy the sun, but I’ll be fine. _

_ omg, good to know. so, i feel really tired which now i know is because your horny vampire ass lost control. can i text you when i wake up?  _

Gigi rolled her eyes.

_ I’m choosing to ignore the middle part of that sentence. Yes, text me when you feel up to it. _

Part of Crystal didn’t want to text Gigi once she woke up. When she thought about the fact that she had sex with a really fucking hot vampire, she couldn’t believe it. It sounded insane. Another part of Crystal wanted to text her back asking her to  _ Men in Black _ her so that she couldn’t remember the night. The last part of Crystal wanted to text Gigi back, talk to her, and hook up again. The sex was incredible, and she felt selfish for falling asleep before she could fuck her back. It was only fair for them to hook up at least one more time. 

She wasn’t going to do it. She was going to just try to forget the one-night stand and go on with her life. Crystal had work to do for the museum, especially if she was going to impress her boss, Sasha, enough for a promotion. Becoming the creative director of the Chicago Museum of Visual Arts was more important than sex could ever be. 

Just as she decided she wasn’t going to meet up with Gigi, she overheard her roommates argue about dishes. It wasn’t arguing, it was more of a screaming match. Crystal rolled over in bed and used her pillow to muffle the sound, which didn’t work. 

She sighed as she picked up her phone.

_ hey! just woke up, i feel like i have the world’s worst hangover. anyway, do you wanna meet up in like an hour? _

Gigi texted back quickly. Crystal was always impressed with the perfect grammar and capitalization Gigi used. Who had the time for that? Definitely not Crystal. 

_ Yes, that’s the after-effect of having been fed on, unfortunately. I hope that it was worth it, though. I’ll see you in an hour. _

Usually, Crystal was an extremely confident person. She had to be in order to move up at the museum as quickly as she did. But, while she was getting ready to meet with Gigi, she felt like crawling into a hole. Everything in her closet was suddenly ugly, and every way she did her makeup looked bad.

Eventually, Crystal gave up and wore minimal makeup and a flannel. 

The park was walking distance from her apartment. Since it was September, the city was cooling down, not enough to be freezing, but enough to need a jacket. Crystal thanked herself for wearing a flannel.

Because she lived so close to the park, she got there before Gigi did. She almost sat on a bench directly in the sun to warm up, but then remembered Gigi saying that she didn't like the sun, so she decided on a bench under a large tree. 

Crystal checked her phone. It was noon. Where was Gigi? 

Just as she started to feel discouraged, her phone vibrated.

_ Hello, sorry. My cat decided to vomit on my rug, so I had to take care of it. Be there soon. _

Gigi made good, and showed up to the park ten minutes later. She found Crystal, and sat down on the bench next to her.

“Is your cat okay?” Crystal asked.

“Yes, she’s fine.”

“Good.”

There was an awkward pause.

Gigi began running her fingers up and down the necklace she was wearing. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions.”

“I don’t really know where to start,” Crystal said. 

“Nothing is off-limits, if it gets too bad I’ll just glamour you, and we can start over.” Gigi waved her hand in front of Crystal’s face.

Crystal didn’t say anything.

“I'm kidding.”

“Oh.” Crystal could appreciate a dry sense of humor, but damn. “Okay, first question. Do you do that with all the people you… eat?”

“Well, to start, I don’t eat people, I feed from them. Secondly, no. You’re the first.”

Crystal felt an odd sense of pride. “Really? Why?”

“Honestly, I have no idea,” Gigi admitted. “I don’t know what came over me. Usually, I bring people back to the funeral home, feed off of them, kill them, and dispose of the evidence.”

Crystal was shocked by how freely she was talking about murder. “Oh! That’s another question. Why do you work at a funeral home? Like, why work at all? Don’t vampires just brood about their existence, or something?”

“It may not seem like it, but brooding for nearly a century gets old after a point. Back in the eighties, I decided I was too bored brooding, and a funeral home just seemed like a good fit. Having the blood from the bodies is a plus, too.”

“Wait. How old are you?” Crystal asked.

“I was born in 1905.”

Crystal was shocked. “I know I like older women, but goddamn.”

“Thanks,” Gigi said dryly. “If it makes a difference, I was twenty-two when I transformed.”

“Well if you look at it like that, I’m older than you. By four years. Random one, but can you read minds?”

“I can’t personally, but it’s possible, yes.”

“Wait, what?” 

“Vampires can form a psychic bond between themselves and a human, but it’s not very common. I don’t personally know any vampires who have done it. We tend to not get that close to humans, myself included,” Gigi said looking away from Crystal.

“Next question. What was so different about me? Like, you say you don’t get close to humans, but here we are, in the middle of this park, talking about how you’re…” Crystal realized she raised her voice a little too loudly causing a woman who was walking her dog to look at them. 

“A funeral director?” Gigi said, trying to recover. “I’ve tried racking my brain around everything that happened, and I have no idea why I took you back to my apartment, and I don’t know why I let everything else... unfold.” 

“Oh,” Crystal said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. 

“Not that I regret it, not by any means.”

“You  _ did  _ say you lost control in the heat of the moment. Let’s just say that I’m so intoxicatingly attractive, you had no choice but to be engrossed by me.”

Gigi rolled her eyes. “Sure. Let’s go with that.”

“Can you turn into a bat?”

Gigi sighed and rested her head in her hands. There was something special about this girl. 

_ One year later _

Crystal rubbed her hands together as she blew in them in an attempt to create heat. It was late, past midnight, but it was she and Gigi’s favorite time to walk in the park. It was almost always empty, which they appreciated. 

“It’s so cold,” Crystal complained. “You’re lucky you can’t get cold.”

Gigi rubbed her own hands together and rubbed Crystal’s upper arms.

“Stop! You aren’t helping. You’re always cold, and you’re making it worse.” Crystal led the two of them to a bench.

“This is the bench where I told you everything,” Gigi mused. 

Crystal rested her head on her girlfriend and smiled. “I can’t believe it’s been a year.”

“Happy anniversary, darling,” Gigi said kissing Crystal’s forehead.

“Happy anniversary, baby.”

Since there wasn’t an official date that Gigi and Crystal started calling each other girlfriends, they decided to go with the date Crystal learned everything. 

“You were just complaining about how cold I was, and now you’re pressed up against my body.”

Crystal held her hand up as she shut her eyes. “Shh, don’t ruin the moment, babe.”

Gigi rolled her eyes as she held Crystal’s hand. “I never in my undead life thought that I would be in love with a human.”

“Not trying to be gay, but I’m so proud of how far you’ve come this past year.”

“How so?”

“Well, the second time that we hung out you went on a tangent about how you hated basically ever human you’ve ever met but me. Oh, and in general, you’re just a lot nicer to humans that aren’t me. Like, remember that time we went to the mall and that lady cut you off and you looked like you were going to kill everyone in the mall? Like, fangs out and everything?”

Gigi rubbed the smooth pendant of her necklace. “I don’t recall what you’re talking about.”

“Liar. You’re playing with your necklace. I know you, baby.”

Pursing her lips, Gigi tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You do.”

“Crystal!  _ Fuck! _ ” Gigi moaned as she reached climax, her hips rocking as she sat on her rightful throne, Crystal’s face. As Crystal skillfully flicked her tongue over Gigi’s clit, it took everything in her power to not crush her girlfriend’s face with her thighs. 

Coming down from her climax, Gigi adjusted herself so that she was straddling Crystal. 

“Do you want to go for round six?” Gigi's tone was innocent, but her smile was sinful. 

Crystal shook her head. “I want to be able to walk tomorrow.”

“Fair enough,” Gigi said as she laid her head on the pillow next to Crystal. “I love you, darling. Happy anniversary.”

“Happy anniversary,” Crystal said tenderly kissing her girlfriend. 

Gigi bit her finger and drew blood as she rubbed it over Crystal’s neck where she’d fed from which caused the puncture marks to disappear as if they’d never been there. “I know you like having the marks on your thighs.”

“They’re like souvenirs!” Crystal said happily tracing one of the marks on her left thigh.

“You are so strange.”

“You love me.”

“You’re right,” Gigi said, kissing her girlfriend. 

Crystal yawned. “How much blood did you take tonight?”

Gigi looked away, licking her finger.

“Baby!” Crystal whined. 

“You certainly weren’t complaining when my head was between your legs, darling. Especially during round three.”

Crystal yawned again, nestling into Gigi’s arms. “True. I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Gigi usually only waited for Crystal to fall asleep before she went into the living room. But, Crystal looked so peaceful so she stayed a little longer, just taking in the sight of her beautiful love. Eventually, she carefully crept out of the bed and kissed Crystal’s forehead. Ensuring the blankets were on just as Crystal liked, Gigi quietly shut the door. 

It’s not that Gigi particularly liked watching TV and movies as much as she did, but she had nothing better to pass the time. Scrolling through Netflix, she settled on  _ The Haunting of Hill House _ . 

Silently critiquing inconsistencies in the funeral home in the show, she heard Crystal open the bedroom door. 

“Darling? Could you not sleep?”

Crystal didn’t reply, but instead ran into the bathroom and shut the door. Gigi heard Crystal turn the bathroom fan on. Try she may, Crystal couldn’t silence the sound of her vomiting from her girlfriend's heightened hearing.

Gigi knocked on the bathroom door lightly. “Crystal?”

No response.

“Crystal, are you okay?”

Crystal only groaned in response.

“Can I come in?”

No response.

“I’m coming in.”

Gigi had seen a lot of things in her life that should have made her sad that didn’t. Seeing her love laying on the bathroom floor resting her head against the toilet seat was extremely upsetting. Crystal groaned again, which caused Gigi to kneel down by her. 

Stroking Crystal’s hair, Gigi said, “What do you need me to do?”

Crystal groaned again before looking at Gigi. “Heidi was out sick with the flu the other day, and I’m just remembering now that we shared a sandwich.”

“Oh, darling, that’s probably why you’re so exhausted.”

“I’m sorry I blamed you,” Crystal mumbled.

“Shh, it’s okay.” Gigi effortlessly picked Crystal up and carried her to bed. 

“My hero,” Crystal said, swooning dramatically. 

“Do you need anything?”

“Water.”

Rarely did Gigi use her vampire speed. Most of the time, it wasn’t necessary, especially recently. But, this was necessary. She returned before Crystal could blink.

“That’s new,” Crystal said as she graciously took the glass.

“I don’t do that often. It’s not needed.”

“Getting your girlfriend water was a circumstance of needing to become The Flash?”

“Yes,” Gigi said as she got into bed with Crystal and covered them with the blankets. 

Crystal sat the glass on the nightstand as she fell asleep in her girlfriend’s loving embrace. 

It took Crystal barely ten minutes to fall back asleep. It was six in the morning, and Gigi knew she wasn’t going into work. She had a sick girlfriend to take care of.

Gigi scrolled through her contacts until she found Jackie’s number.

Jackie answered the phone instantly. “Gigi? Is everything okay? Do you need me to come in early?”

“Everything’s okay, no not unless you want to. But that’s not why I’m calling. I’m calling because I have a very sick girlfriend who I need to tend to. I’m not going to be coming in today. Do you think you can handle yourself?”

“As long as there’s no one that needs any reconstruction work.”

It was enduring to Gigi that Jackie referred to the bodies as people.

Gigi sighed. “Okay, if that happens, call me and I’ll come in.”

“Tell Crystal I say feel better soon!”

“Of course.”

Now that work was taken care of, Gigi had to go to the grocery store. Before she and Crystal started dating, Gigi hadn’t stepped foot in a grocery store in nearly a century. In the past year, she’d become well-versed on where everything was kept. After picking up all the ingredients she needed, she returned home, hoping she still knew how to be a good little housewife-to-be.

Before becoming a vampire, Gigi already had an incredible memory. Vampirism only heightened it, meaning Gigi could remember almost every recipe that her mother taught her how to make. Even though Crystal didn’t cook often, she still had a nice collection of pots and pans. 

Gigi was so engrossed in cooking, she didn’t realize Crystal had migrated from the bed to the couch. 

“Babe, what are you doing?” Crystal asked as she sat up on the couch. 

“You need to eat.”

“It’s only eight, and the last thing I want to do is eat.”

“It’ll take some time for the soup to cook.”

Crystal raised an eyebrow. “Baby, I love you, but you haven’t cooked  _ anything  _ in like ninety years, and now you’re making me soup from scratch?”

Gigi sat on the arm of the couch as she stroked her girlfriend’s hair. “I think that you’re forgetting I was in training to be a housewife.”

“God, I can only imagine how adorable you must have looked in a poofy dress and apron,” Crystal said before she fell into a coughing fit, somehow still managing to laugh.

“You've called me many different names this past year, but I think ‘adorable’ is a first.”

“Honestly, I’d pay a lot of dollars to see what you looked like as a human.”

Suddenly, Gigi got an idea. “Hold that thought.”

Gigi went into the bedroom and laid on her stomach. Using her phone’s flashlight, she first saw her and Crystal’s box of sex toys, but deeper under the bed was a much smaller box. Stretching as far she could, Gigi reached the box. 

Before leaving the bedroom, Gigi made sure to take one thing out of the box before returning to Crystal. 

“You said you wanted to see what I looked like as a human?”

Crystal nodded. “I’d literally  _ pay  _ to see it.”

“Well, pay up, darling.” Gigi handed Crystal three framed photos from when she was a human. 

“How did you get these?” 

“A few months after I was turned, I snuck into my parent’s home in the middle of the night.”

Crystal gasped and put her hand over her mouth. They were definitely her girlfriend. Her facial expression mirrored when she had to interact with humans she found annoying. Gigi’s eyes were what were the most unmistakable part of the photo. Even though they were in black and white, somehow Gigi’s eyes still had the sparkle that Crystal adored. Despite the photos being in black and white, it was still easy to see that Gigi was wearing light colors, something that didn’t normally happen.

The first photo was Gigi and a girl who looked just like her.

“Is that Nora?” Crystal asked. It had taken Gigi quite some time before she talked about her human life, but one night, Gigi and Crystal spent the entire night up until the early morning talking about her human life.

Gigi nodded.

“She’s beautiful.”

The next photo was a family photo. Crystal smiled as she saw that Gigi looked just like her mother. “You all look like each other.”

“That’s what everyone always told us.”

The final photo made Crystal gasp audibly. “Holy shit.”

Crystal wasn’t entirely sure if she was seeing what she thought she saw. The man in the photo with Gigi, who she presumed was her fiance, was a face she’d seen in her middle school history books. 

“What?”

“You were engaged to James Rossini?” Crystal asked incredulously.

Gigi nodded.

“Did you know he was one of Chicago’s biggest mobsters back then?”

Gigi shook her head. “He and his father were always very secretive about what they did for a living. Nora ended up marrying his cousin. He mainly kept the books and didn’t kill anyone, which is why you’ve never heard of him.”

“God, I can just see you as a fancy schmancy mob wife, babe. In a huge mansion surrounded by nice things,” Crystal said.

“Well, now I buy myself nice things,” Gigi said looking around their apartment. 

Crystal couldn’t stop staring at the photos. It was as though she saw a side of her girlfriend that she never thought she would ever get to see.

Crystal managed to doze off again, but was woken up by the sound of the oven timer. She peeked over the couch and saw Gigi was smiling at the photos before she got up to check on the soup boiling on the stove.

Every so often, there were moments where Crystal could see her girlfriend’s vulnerability. They were extremely rare, but when they happened, it was as though she was looking at a different person. Gigi’s coldness towards most people was an act that Crystal could see right through, even if Gigi wasn’t aware of it.

“Are you hungry, darling?”

“A little,” Crystal said sitting up on the couch. 

Gigi brought over a bowl and the ginger ale that Crystal swore could cure cancer. 

“I used to make this all the time when my family members were sick. I’m sure it’s not nearly as good as it was when I used to make it regularly.” Gigi took the seat on the couch next to Crystal. 

Crystal blew on the soup on her spoon to cool it down. She was nervous, since she had absolutely no idea what to expect. Gigi watched in anticipation as Crystal had her first bite. 

“Oh my God, babe, it’s so good.”

Gigi’s face lit up. “Really?”

Crystal nodded. After finishing the bowl and setting it on the questionably assembled coffee table, she kissed Gigi. “I’m glad you can’t get sick.”

“Me, too.”

“I love you, my good little trophy wife.”

Gigi rolled her eyes. “I am not.”

“Wife” was a word that Gigi never thought of when she looked at Crystal. Anytime it would come up on accident, the subject would be changed.

“You’re pretty good at taking care of the living, too,” Crystal mused. “Who would have thought?”

“Not me.”

In that moment, Gigi swore her life was perfect. If only it would last forever. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always follow me on tumblr @themetaluna for extra ficlets, headcannons, and my screaming at 3 am about this fic


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crystal has an incredible day at work, while Gigi has a terrible one. Crystal can tell something is wrong with her girlfriend, but she's not sure what. When Gigi makes a mistake, it tests their relationship to its core.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovelies! Not much to say other than a tw for pretty extreme depictions of death. 
> 
> As always thank you to Juno for beta reading <3

Crystal impatiently tapped her foot while waiting for the train. Of  _ course  _ the day she had to meet with the artist of an exhibit that she might book, she was running late. It was her first time coordinating an exhibit as the creative director of the museum. Here she was, about to leave a terrible impression on the prospective artist, as well as the rest of the creative team, who also vied for her position. 

Checking the time, she saw that the train was running five minutes behind. Five minutes. She could make it, but she’d have to run. Cardio was on Crystal’s list of least favorite things, narrowly avoiding bad vampire movies. Her excuse was the one time she went on a run with Gigi, Gigi said that Crystal’s resting heart rate was two beats higher than average. Plus, she’d just gotten over from being sick. 

Running through the streets of Chicago wasn’t necessarily an uncommon thing to see, but with Harry Styles blaring through her Airpods, she couldn’t help but feel like all eyes were on her. As she went up the stairs to the museum, she wasn’t paying attention and nearly collided with a woman, who narrowly avoided spilling her coffee. 

“Oh, shit, I’m so sorry!” Crystal squeaked.

The woman, who looked sleek and sophisticated who was wearing a suit that looked like it was made for her said, “Don’t even worry about it. Are you running late?”

Crystal nodded. “I really have to go! Thank you!”

“What are you thanking me for?” The woman shouted.

By the time Crystal made it up to her office, her assistant Rock was already waiting for her with an iced coffee.

“Thank you!” Crystal said graciously.

Having an assistant was something she still wasn’t used to. Instead of relying on a planner that was falling apart at the seams, she had someone who kept track of all her meetings for her, who always had an iced coffee at the ready. 

“You made it,” Rock said. “The meeting’s going to be down the hall. Conference room B. The artist is already waiting for us, but you’re on time so don’t worry.”

“God, Sasha would have never done this,” Crystal said as she took a sip.

“I know you think you have these huge shoes to fill, but you don’t.”

Crystal took a deep breath and smoothed out her blouse before opening the door. “Hello, everyone.”

Making eye contact with the everyone in the room, a wave of panic washed over her. One of the people who was sitting at the conference table, who she could only presume was the artist, was the same person she almost took out on the stairs. 

“So we meet again,” the woman said. 

“I’m  _ so  _ sorry about earlier! I was running late and I didn't see you.”

“Don’t even worry about it. Jaida Hall.” Jaida held out her hand. The power in Jaida’s handshake surprised Crystal. 

“Crystal Methyd,” Crystal said as she sat. 

Jaida blinked and then raised an eyebrow.

“I know,” Crystal murmured. “My parents hate me.”

“So, tell us about the exhibit,” one of the curators, Heidi prompted.

Jaida stood up from her chair, her body language elegant and confident. “When I was doing my final project in art school I became very interested in horror, specifically werewolves. I independently studied lycanthropy so intensively my senior year, I might as well have a degree in it. It’s been three years since I began my studies, and I thought that it would be interesting to do an exhibit based on the history of werewolves and the interpretations of them through time in different cultures, as well as their representation in pop culture.” 

None of the directors said anything, Crystal nodded to prompt Jaida to continue. 

Jaida used the television in the conference room to show her art. “As you can see, it’s a very diverse exhibit, all different art styles, linked with a common thread. I feel as though this exhibit can really add a flair to your museum, not that it needs it by any means. It’s unlike any of the exhibits you’ve had before. With Halloween just around the corner, I think it’ll bring a lot of traffic.”

Apparently Crystal couldn’t escape from the supernatural. At least it was just an art exhibit. It’s not like werewolves were real.

“Can’t argue with that,” Heidi murmured. 

Crystal had a notepad and pen in front of her, but she didn’t feel the need to take notes. She loved the premise of the exhibit. Jaida was right, it’d add flair to the museum. Jaida’s words were too kind, the museum desperately needed something to make it stand out from the other museums in Chicago. 

“This exhibit is so unique. I’ve never seen anything quite like it, and your work is incredible,” Crystal said earnestly.

Jaida smiled. “Thank you very much.”

“I am interested in bringing your exhibit to the museum. Would you be interested in a nine month contract?” 

The norm for the museum’s exhibits was usually six months at the most, but Crystal could see there was something about this exhibit that was special. 

Jaida’s jaw dropped. “That sounds great.”

“Lovely. Heidi will discuss the details with you. Have a great day.”

Crystal walked away with a huge smile on her face.

Gigi made it clear to Crystal that she wanted to know as soon as possible how the meeting went, so much so that Gigi told Crystal to meet her at the funeral home. While she was on the train, she realized that in the year they’d been dating, Crystal had never been to the funeral home. 

When she arrived, Crystal hesitated before opening the door. The sign alone, which read  _ Evermore Funeral Services  _ was enough to make her feel uneasy. Crystal had never set foot in a funeral home, because she never knew anyone who’d died.

Once inside, she didn’t see Gigi. She didn’t see anyone. The funeral home was eerily quiet. Crystal didn’t have much experience with death, so she was on edge thinking about the bodies that were probably in the other rooms. 

“Hello?” Crystal called tentatively. “Gigi?”

A woman, who Crystal assumed was Jackie, came forward which made Crystal jump. “You must be Crystal.”

“And you must be Jackie. Nice to finally meet you.”

“You, too.”

“So uh, where’s my girlfriend?” Crystal asked looking around the room.

Jackie pointed in the direction of what Crystal could only guess was the dead body room. “Someone was mauled by a wild animal. She’s probably going to be in there for a while.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah, it’s bad. One of the worst animal attacks I’ve seen. He wasn’t recognizable. Police had to use dental records,” Jackie said. “Even Gigi looked shocked, and that woman is unshakeable.” 

Crystal’s face looked horrified. “I…” 

“Sorry. Well, you’re welcome to go sit on the couch over there.”

The couch was comfortable, much more comfortable than it looked. Jackie sat on the chair adjacent to the couch. 

“So Crystal,” Jackie began. “I don’t know that much about you. Gigi doesn’t talk too much about you.”

Gigi didn’t talk about her? That stung, especially considering everyone at the museum knew all about Gigi. 

“She doesn’t?”

Jackie saw that Crystal took offense to the comment. “Gigi’s a private person. We don’t talk much about personal lives. What do you do for a living?”

“I’m the creative director at the Chicago Museum of Visual Arts.” 

Crystal had to admit, every time she said “creative director” she felt an overwhelming sense of pride, mainly because she worked her ass to get there.

“That’s incredible! I’ve taken my wife there before.”

“Awe, you have a wife?” Crystal asked.

“Yes! Her name is Jan and I love her a lot.” Jackie took her phone from her pocket and showed Crystal her lock screen, a picture of Jackie and a radiant blonde woman at the beach.

“She’s beautiful.”

Crystal couldn’t help but feel jealous. Why couldn’t Gigi get that excited about her when she talked to people?

“I keep trying to get Gigi to come over for dinner. You’d be welcome too, of course. Jan’s an amazing cook.”

“That’d be nice.” 

Dinner with someone she barely knew didn’t sound fun. But, she wanted nothing more in that moment to piss off Gigi. 

“How does Friday sound?” Jackie asked brightly.

“Friday would be  _ great _ .”

Crystal could hear Gigi’s voice from down the hall. “That was one of the worst bodies I’ve seen in quite some time. I know you said the family wanted an open casket… That’s out of the question. I’m good, but I’m not that good. No one is. I give up.”

As Gigi rounded the corner, she took her hair down from the messy bun it was in. “Oh. Hi, darling.”

“Hi, baby.” Crystal’s tone was short, which Gigi immediately caught onto.

“Are you okay?” Crystal nodded. “Let’s go into my office.”

Crystal sat in the chair normally reserved for grieving families with her arms folded across her chest as Gigi stood in front of her.

“So… How did it go?”

“What?”

Gigi raised an eyebrow. “Meeting with the artist?”

“Oh. Good.” Crystal knew passive aggression wasn’t a good look on anyone, but she couldn’t help it.

“Just ‘good’?”

“We booked the artist. Her whole exhibit is on werewolves. I can’t escape the supernatural. At least werewolves aren’t real, I guess.”

Gigi looked uneasy. “Yes, of course they aren’t real.”

Crystal looked at her girlfriend and saw just how bad she looked. Crystal kept track of the days that Gigi fed, and she knew it had been an entire week. Gigi didn’t leave her side when she was sick, and it showed. 

Even with heavy makeup on, her dark under-eye circles were noticeable. There were light traces of the veins visible through her pale skin. Crystal was used to Gigi’s appearance, but Gigi was shaking. It wasn’t in a weak-needing-to-feed way. It was in a something-was-very-wrong way. Crystal decided that Gigi not talking about her to Jackie suddenly didn’t matter. 

“Baby?” Crystal got up and hugged Gigi. “What’s wrong? Something’s wrong. Talk to me.”

Gigi sighed as she spun the pendant on her necklace. “That body was in the worst state I’ve seen in a very long time.”

Crystal knew she was going to regret the amount of details she was going to get, but she knew Gigi needed to talk about it. Gigi needing to talk about things was rare, and Crystal knew she had to take advantage of the moment. She also knew that a body in bad shape wasn’t enough to make her so freaked out.

“What was wrong with... them? The body, I mean.” Crystal asked.

Gigi sighed. “It was one of the most mangled bodies that I’ve seen, not only recently, but ever. The autopsy report said that the intestines were on the outside of the body.”

Crystal winced. 

“I’m sorry. I can stop if you want..”

“No, keep going. Spare no gory details for me.”

“The claw marks weren’t anything I’ve ever seen. They were massive. Part of the torso was so shredded, there was barely any skin left, and what was left was hanging on the sides of the body. The face was so shredded, the skull was visible.”

By this point, Crystal couldn’t take anymore, so she changed the subject. “Do you have any idea what could have done it?”

“No.” Gigi answered quickly enough that Crystal raised an eyebrow. 

“Maybe werewolves are real,” Crystal joked.

“Absolutely not.”

“Babe, as much as I want to spend time with you, I told Heidi and Rock I’d get drinks with them to celebrate.”

“It’s okay. We have the rest of the evening.”

“You still look really shook. Like, it’s not just that you need to eat. Something is wrong.”

“I’m okay,” Gigi said squeezing Crystal’s hand. “I promise.”

Crystal still wasn’t convinced. She moved her hair away and tilted her neck. “Do you need some just to tide you over?”

Gigi shook her head. “You know how I feel about that. You are not my personal blood bank.”

Whenever Gigi drank from Crystal, it was never for sustenance. It was only during sex, because Gigi didn’t want to treat her girlfriend as her blood whore. The blood whores Nicky kept around always made her uncomfortable. 

“Don’t be stubborn, babe,” Crystal said, locking the office door.

“Fine.”

Gigi kissed Crystal’s neck before drawing her fangs. It took a huge amount of self control to not take too much blood. She took the amount she would take when she and Crystal had sex, which was the equivalent of eating a slice of cake, nice at the moment, but not much satisfaction. 

Crystal shivered involuntarily once Gigi finished.

“I have to go now, because if I don’t, I’m going to throw all those files off of your desk and fuck you.” 

“Please don’t do that. Those are important. Besides, that’s for later. You should go out for drinks now, because I’m about to do the same,” Gigi said, rubbing her blood on Crystal’s neck. 

“Babe, I honest to God can’t stand you.”

“I love you, too.”

As much as Crystal didn’t want to think about it, Gigi had to feed in order to survive. Crystal tried to shove the idea of her girlfriend as a killer from her mind. Gigi assured her that she would never see her in that way, by promising Crystal she’d never kill someone in the apartment, since that was their safe space together. 

“You know the rule.”

“Of course. No killing in the apartment. I love you, darling.”

“Love you, too.”

Gigi kissed Crystal. “I am so incredibly proud of you.”

“Go feed. You look dead.”

“I am dead.”

Once Crystal had changed to spend time with her friends Gigi sighed. There was no way she felt strong enough to make it out to the bar. The blood she’d taken from Crystal was not enough to satisfy her. 

In situations where she was in a pinch, she used Tinder to find someone to feed on. Gigi hated the entire concept of Tinder, but it definitely came of use when she had to find her target. She scrolled through, swiping right to everyone, until a man messaged her. After pleasantries back and forth, including a picture of his penis, he agreed to come over. 

Normally, Gigi would bring people to the funeral home. She looked in the mirror at herself. She looked like hell. Gigi was wearing more makeup than normal, and she could still see how ragged her appearance was. She had no other option. She had no choice but to feed in the apartment. It was either to break her and Crystal’s rule, or to kill someone in the streets. 

Besides, Crystal wasn’t going to be back until late, anyway. 

Gigi sat on the couch neurotically petting Akasha until she heard the knock on the door. With a sigh of relief, she answered the door to a man whose name she couldn’t remember.

“Lauren?” Gigi always made sure to use a fake name.

“Yes, hi.” 

She took the man by the hand and sat with him on the couch. Ever since she started dating Crystal, kissing other people felt wrong. But, Crystal said she didn’t care, so Gigi continued her routine. She kissed the man’s neck before drawing her fangs.

Gigi made sure she was precise and clean, so as not to leave any evidence behind. After she dragged the man into the bathtub, she was sure to cover her tracks and make sure that no blood was spilled. Other than a few small drops that were easily cleaned, she was in the clear. 

Next, she had to dispose of the body. There were a few things that Gigi kept in the closet that Crystal wasn’t aware of. Most of them were gifts, but there were much darker things, too. Underneath her textbooks on body reconstruction, there were things that she hoped to the gods she didn’t believe in that Crystal would never find. One such thing was a bonesaw that she kept for occasions just like this. Putting the body parts into a trashbag and driving to the funeral home would be the easiest way to get rid of the body. 

Making her way back to the bathroom, she partially filled the bathtub so the blood would run down the drain easier. With that, she went to work, starting with the limbs. 

Gigi was so focused on dismembering the body, she had no idea Crystal had returned and was watching her every move. 

At first, Crystal was in shock. She couldn’t believe what she saw. Watching Gigi completely butcher a body made Crystal want to scream and run away, but instead she froze and watched in terror, wondering how the woman she loved so dearly could do something so morbid. The scariest thing to Crystal was the complete lack of remorse on Gigi’s face.

Crystal could barely listen to Gigi talk about work, even the things that weren't particularly gory. Death was something that disturbed Crystal greatly. Despite this, Crystal was watching Gigi’s every move. It was like when she saw a motorcycle accident when she was a teenager. Something about it made her unable to look away, as desperately as she wished she could. 

Crystal watched silently, until Gigi began cutting the head. Halfway through, Gigi tore the head with ease, like when her brother used to rip the heads off of her Barbies. She put her hand over her mouth and gasped sharply. The gasp was loud enough that Gigi heard. 

Gigi looked up at her lover. Without missing a beat, she turned off the saw and shut the shower curtain. 

“Crystal…” Gigi began. As she took a step forward toward Crystal, Crystal immediately took a step back. 

“No."

“Crystal I am so sorry.”

“I think I'm going to be sick.”

“Crystal...”

She took another step back. “Don’t.” 

Crystal ran into their bedroom and locked the do or. Gigi wanted to immediately run after her, but knew that was exactly what she shouldn’t do. Instead, she stood outside of the door.

She gently knocked on the door. “Crystal... Please…”

“I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t want to _look_ at you.”

“I am so beyond sorry,” Gigi said as she could feel tears of blood stream down her face. “I never meant for you to see me like that.”

Crystal scoffed. “You really think _ that  _ is why I’m so upset?”

“Yes…” Gigi trailed off. “It’s not?”

“Fucking  _ unbelievable. _ No, Gigi. I know you kill people. Seeing you cut up that guy was fucking gross, but at the end of the day, you're a fucking vampire. That’s not why I’m mad. I’m mad at the complete lack of respect. I let the fact that you kill people slide. But, you can’t follow one goddamn rule?”

“Can I come in?”

Crystal sighed as she unlocked the door. “Come in.”

“Thank you.” 

Crystal sat in the chair in the corner of the room. It was clear to see how tense she was. Rather than sitting relaxed in the chair as she normally would, Crystal had her legs crossed on the chair with her arms wrapped around them. Gigi could tell that Crystal didn’t want her too close.

Wiping away tears, Crystal said, “Like I was saying, you not killing people in this space that we share, the space we made together is something that is so important. It feels like you don’t care about my feelings, just your own.”

“How could you even say that?” Gigi could feel tears of blood stream down her face. 

“Sometimes I forget you aren’t human. It was only a matter of time before some shit like this happened.” Crystal’s voice cracked. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

“Do what?”

“You know what.”

Gigi looked at Crystal. “You can’t be serious.”

The tone of Crystal’s words cut Gigi like a knife.. “Actually, I am.”

“I…”

“I’m going to go. Get rid of him. Clean the bathroom. I need to clear my head. I’ll be back.”

“Where are you going?”

“I don’t know.”

Crystal slammed the apartment door so loudly, Akasha ran into the bedroom. 

Crystal didn’t know where she was going. She just knew she had to leave. She put her Airpods in as she walked down the streets of Chicago at dusk.

A feeling of unease crept over her as she entered a neighborhood that was not her own. Even though Crystal and Gigi’s apartment was in a safe part of the city, as safe as one can get in a large city, being out at night was generally something Crystal avoided.

Tonight she didn’t care. 

The wind was brisk on her tear-stained face as Crystal continued to walk. She didn’t have a destination in mind. To be honest, she wasn’t completely sure where she was. Crystal tried her best to recognize her surroundings, but night had fallen and she completely lost where she was.

Crystal began to panic. Looking at her phone, she saw that she had three missed calls and eight missed texts from Gigi. As much as Crystal wanted to text her for help, she put her phone back in her pocket.

Something made Crystal feel uneasy, not just because she was lost. It was like she was being watched. When she heard a noise, more than likely just a rat or stray cat, she felt like she jumped out of her skin.

Crystal wanted to scream when she realized the noise came from a figure that was definitely a person, who was quickly approaching. 

_ Shit. Shit. Shit. _

Once under the streetlights, Crystal saw that it was a familiar face.

“Crystal?” Jaida began. “Are you okay?”

Crystal’s voice cracked. “Yes.”

“No, you’re not,” Jaida said as she guided them to a bench.

Rubbing Crystal’s back comfortingly, Jaida said, “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“We barely know each other.”

“It doesn’t matter. Something’s wrong, and I’m not letting you leave until you calm down.”

“First off I have no idea where the fuck I am. But that’s not why I’m crying.”

Jaida wiped Crystal’s tears. “What’s wrong?”

“My girlfriend and I got into our first fight. It wasn’t just a small disagreement. It was a full on huge ass fight that left me saying I didn’t know if I could do the relationship, and slamming the door.”

“Shit,” Jaida muttered. “What were y’all arguing about?”

Crystal had to choose her words carefully. “Basically… We have certain… I guess rules about our apartment. It’s weird to explain.”

“No, I understand. I think."

“It’s just… she broke our one rule, and doesn’t understand that her ki… I mean, doing the… thing that the rule is about isn’t what’s making me mad. It’s that she clearly doesn’t respect me if she’s willing to break it that easily.”

Jaida raised an eyebrow. “I’m not quite sure what you’re saying, but I think you should talk it out with her.”

“You’re right. If I avoid this it’ll be worse.”

_ im ready to talk but im lost. im sharing my location with you _

_ I’ll be there soon. _

_ not too soon, im with someone. a friend found me  _

_ Got it.  _

“She’s on her way. You can go, if you want.”

Jaida shook her head. “Are you kidding? I’m not leaving you here. My apartment is just over there. We’re going to wait up there for your girl.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

Jaida raised an eyebrow. “Because I’m a nice person?”

“Sorry… I didn’t mean…”

“It’s okay. Let’s go.”

Crystal quickly texted Gigi Jaida’s address. 

Jaida’s apartment was exactly what Crystal expected. There was art everywhere of all different styles. Even though none of the furniture matched, a stark contrast from her own apartment, it all fit together perfectly. Crystal inhaled the earthy scent of incense as she saw a painting of moon phases on an easel in the corner. 

“My roommates aren’t home right now,” Jaida said as she led Crystal to a wildly patterned couch. 

“You have roommates?”

There was something about Jaida’s energy that made Crystal think that she would live alone. 

“I’m a starving artist who just booked her first exhibit. If I didn’t have roommates, I’d be back at my parent’s house in Milwaukee, the land of Dahmer. Of course I have roommates. But it’s all not bad, my roommates, Vanessa, Scarlet, and Yvie are great.”

“That’s good. Before I moved in with Gigi, mine were… Not.”

Jaida shook her head. “Are you really in your mid twenties if you haven’t had a horrific roommate experience?”

“Or a horrific edible experience,” Crystal joked. 

“That, too.”

Jaida sighed. “I know we aren’t at work, but I just want to thank you. For everything.”

“Of course your work is incredible.” Crystal gestured to the art in the apartment. “All of it.”

“Thank you,” Jaida said with a small smile. “I try.”

Crystal and Jaida sat in a comfortable silence as a knock on the door startled Crystal.

“That’s probably your girl,” Jaida said, getting up to answer the door as Crystal followed.

Before Jaida opened the door, Crystal had no idea what to expect. Crystal didn’t know that a vampire cried blood until that day. She also didn’t know that after crying, a vampire’s eyes were red and puffy just like a human’s. Normally, Gigi dressed extremely cohesive, but she was wearing one of Crystal’s flannels and a pair of leggings. 

“Hi. I'm Gigi.

“Jaida.”

Crystal had no idea why, but Gigi and Jaida locked eyes. It was like they were taking each other in as they looked each other up and down. 

“Do you want to go talk now, Gigi?”

Gigi nodded. “Let’s go.”

While Crystal had a horrible sense of direction, Gigi’s was impeccable. This showed especially as they walked the streets of Chicago. Normally, Crystal wouldn’t feel safe, but after seeing what her girlfriend was capable of, she felt more than safe.

“So…” Crystal began.

“I don't think that I could ever express how sorry I am. I also don’t think I can express how much it hurts me to know that I hurt you. I didn’t mean to disrespect you in any way, and the fact that I did will haunt me for decades.”

Crystal sighed, formulating a response before she spoke. “You’re right. You disrespected me.”

Gigi began to say something.

“I’m not finished yet. I know that you probably don’t want to talk about it, but I can tell something’s wrong. It’s not just that you needed to feed. Babe, I understand that you might not want to talk about whatever is going on, but just know, I know that something is wrong. I also know that you haven’t fed in a week.”

“It’s no excuse for me to do what I did. I broke our rule.”

“You absolutely did.”

“You saw me for what I really am. A soulless killer.”

“That was… shocking,” Crystal began. “I know you haven’t fed in a week.”

“That is absolutely no excuse.”

“It probably isn't. But, why didn’t you feed for an entire week?”

“Because I was taking care of you.”

Crystal held Gigi’s hand. “Would a soulless killer take care of me?”

“I suppose not.”

“Baby, I know what I was signing up for when we started dating. It’s fucking disturbing to think about, and part of me realizes how crazy this all is. I know you kill people, but I can see your soul. You claim you don’t have one, but you absolutely do. Yours is beautiful. Also, I will say that I know you don't tell me certain things, and as your girlfriend, it hurts knowing you don't fully trust me with certain things. I'm not sure if you think you're protecting me, or what it is. But, I don't need protecting."

Gigi sighed, shutting her eyes as she squeezed Crystal’s hand. “I will spend every day proving how much I love, value, and respect you. I love you. I'll also try harder to tell you more."

Gigi went in for a kiss, but Crystal pulled away. “I love you, but I need time to… I don’t know. Decompress? Destress? I’m not breaking up with you, but that was… rough.”

“I understand.”

“Thank you for respecting my boundaries. I love you.” 

“I love you, too. Is there anything I can do immediately to prove it?”

“Well…” Crystal hesitated. “I  _ may  _ have told Jackie that we’d go have dinner at her place with her wife on Friday while you were in the dead body room.”

“You did  _ what _ ?”

  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on tumblr @themetaluna for outtakes that include, but are not limited to, Gigi being a badass in the 80's, everyone becoming obsessed with WAP, and much, much more.


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crystal forms an unexpected friendship as Gigi explores her humanity further.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone! I'm finally back! Sorry for the delay, I had the most intense writer's block. I wrote this chapter, tore it apart, split the chapter, started over completely, and revised this like three or four times. But, it's finally here xoxo
> 
> Unless something big comes up, the next update will be on Halloween, since the chapter takes place on Halloween. 
> 
> As always thanks to @juniperjam for being my beta reader and encouraging me when I scream about abandoning all my fics lmao 
> 
> Enjoy!

“I cannot believe you agreed to this,” Gigi groaned as she applied mascara using the bathroom mirror.

Crystal sat on the toilet while she waited for her nail polish to dry. “Babe… I have a confession to make.”

Gigi turned her head to look at her girlfriend. “What did you do?”

Blowing on her nails she began, “So… When I was waiting for you while you were in the dead body room, Jackie was talking about her wife and how great she was, which is cute. But then, she told me she knew nothing about me… I don’t know. I know you’re not one for small talk, but I thought maybe… Anyway, when Jackie offered for us to go over to her apartment for dinner… I  _ may  _ have said yes because I was…”

“Jealous?”

Crystal nodded. “I’m sorry.”

There were times that Gigi didn’t understand her girlfriend’s thought process. This was one of those times. Gigi couldn’t understand why Crystal would be upset because she didn’t talk about her to her coworker, especially a coworker she didn’t like very much. 

But, Gigi felt bad for upsetting Crystal, especially after their fight. Crystal made it very clear the night of their fight, if Gigi did anything that severe again, she would leave without hesitation. While Crystal was one to forgive, she wasn’t one to forget. In return, Gigi promised to respect her boundaries, and to open up more.

“I’m sorry, my love. I didn’t know that it was something that meant a lot to you.”

“It’s not  _ really. _ I just feel like you’d be more likely to show Jackie a picture of your cat than of me.”

“To be fair, Akasha is the most beautiful cat I’ve ever had,” Gigi laughed, making eye contact with Crystal in the mirror.

“I can’t  _ stand  _ you.” 

Crystal hugged Gigi from behind, and in return Gigi turned her head for a kiss. 

“I love you,” Crystal said as she took a mirror selfie. “Remember that time I asked if you’d show up in pictures?”

Gigi nodded. “I also remember when you asked if I slept in a coffin.”

“It was a valid question!”

“Was it, though?” 

“How early are we?” Gigi asked.

Crystal glanced at her phone. “Ten minutes.”

“Is it strange that I’m nervous?”

“You? Nervous? You’re never nervous about anything.”

Gigi wrapped the chain of her necklace around her finger. “I know. You’re the only human I’m around for an extended period of time. Human interaction isn’t something that I’m used to. Truthfully, it's a little scary.”

Crystal held her girlfriend’s hand. “I never thought of that. How are you feeling about it all?”

“It’s just that a lot has changed in a small time frame. A year means nothing to me. I went from thinking of humans as food and food alone, to falling in love with one, and now I’m spending my spare time with them. This isn’t normal.”

“And running a funeral home and dating a human is? You have grown so much as a person, babe, it’s incredible. Like I said on our anniversary, you have come so far, and I’m so proud of you. You may have done some terrible things in your past, but we all have. I mean, yeah, we haven’t all done the same things, but that’s not the point. The point is that we grow as people. The humanity you think you gained from dating me is something that’s always been there. You just didn’t want to see it,” Crystal said as she kissed Gigi’s hand wrapped in her own. 

“Even so, you have brought aspects of myself that I thought were gone forever. I never thought I’d get to fall in love.”

The only other person Gigi had any sort of romantic involvement with on a regular basis was Nicky. “Love” is not what Gigi would use to describe their relationship. It was tumultuous and exciting. The highs were euphoric, and the lows were brutal. But with Crystal, it was different. There was a gentleness that she had never felt. It was the energy that Gigi desperately tried to pretend to have with her fiancé. With Crystal, she didn’t have to pretend. 

“I love you. So, so much. And I’m completely regretting agreeing to this.”

“Can we form an escape plan?” Gigi asked. 

Crystal couldn’t tell if her girlfriend was joking or not, but her facial expression indicated that she was serious. 

“No. No, we can’t.” Crystal looked at her phone again. “Should we be fashionably late?”

“Of course. The less time with them the better.”

This caused Crystal to lightly smack Gigi’s arm. “This could be great. You don’t know. Jackie seems nice.”

“She’s okay, I guess.”

“Okay is better than bad.” 

“I suppose so…”

“Besides, if this does suck like you think it’s going to, we never have to do it again,” Crystal said confidently.

“Good.”

  
  
  


“Can you knock?”

“Huh?”

“I’m nervous," Gigi barely said above a whisper. 

Crystal started laughing.

“Darling, why are you laughing at my pain?”

“Goddamn, you’re dramatic sometimes. I just think it’s funny since you’re usually so self-assured. Seeing you squirm a little bit is cute,” Crystal said as she knocked on the door. 

Almost instantly, the door was answered by a blonde woman who Gigi recognized to be Jan. Jan looked like she belonged in a magazine. Between her lacy apron and dazzling smile, it was as though Jan was the modern-day version of what Gigi was set to become. 

“Oh my God, hi! It’s so nice to finally meet you, Gigi!” Jan said facing Gigi. “I’m Jan. And you must be Crystal. You are  _ so _ gorgeous.”

Crystal felt her cheeks turn pink. “No, stop, you’re so beautiful.”

Standing awkwardly in the doorway, Gigi smiled uncomfortably, not moving.

“Oh, how rude of me! Come on in!” 

The inside of Jackie and Jan’s apartment was exactly what Gigi imagined. It looked like the rooms from IKEA were picked up and placed in their apartment. Everything looked impeccable. It was well-decorated, probably thanks to Jan. 

“You have a beautiful home,” Crystal said.

“Thank you!” Jackie, who was sitting on the couch said. “Nice to see you again, Crystal.”

“Nice to see you, too!”

“You guys hang out here, dinner should be ready soon!” Jan said brightly before returning to the kitchen. 

“So Crystal,” Jackie began as Gigi and Crystal made themselves comfortable. “Are you working on anything cool for the museum?”

Gigi loved to watch Crystal’s face light up when she talked about work. “Yes! We’re actually featuring a new artist. Her exhibit is all on werewolves.”

“Werewolves? That’s interesting.”

“Just in time for Halloween!” Jan called from the kitchen.

As Crystal told Jackie the details of the exhibit, Gigi looked around the apartment. She didn’t notice upon being invited in, but there were crucifixes everywhere. 

Once there was a lull in the conversation, Gigi said, “Interesting decorations.” 

“What? The crosses?” Gigi nodded. “Oh, yeah Jan’s Catholic.”

Crystal laughed nervously. “I went to Catholic school. But I’m not practicing.”

“I hope Jan doesn’t want us to raise the kids Catholic,” Jackie whispered.

“I didn’t know you wanted kids,” Gigi mused.

Jackie nodded. “We  _ definitely _ want kids. Don’t we, honey?”

“Being a mom is all I’ve ever wanted,” Jan called from the kitchen. “What about you guys?” 

“I…” Crystal trailed off. 

“Honey, they aren’t even married yet. It’s a little early to start thinking about kids.”

“It’s a little early to think about marriage too,” Gigi muttered to herself as she looked at Crystal, who was staring at her phone. 

Just as an extremely awkward silence was about to ensue, Jan called, “Dinner’s ready!” 

The amount of food on the table was enough to feed a small army. Jackie once said that Jan always made too much food, and Gigi now understood. While Gigi was sure that the food was incredible to humans, it would taste foul to vampires. 

There were four plates that were loaded with food. Gigi began to formulate a plan on how to make it look like she’d eaten much more than she had. She and Crystal exchanged a glance. 

“I’m so sorry, baby,” Crystal mouthed.

Gigi shook her head as she sat.

“So,” Jan began. “How did you both meet?”

“We met at a bar,” Crystal said. 

Jackie raised an eyebrow. “Gigi, you go to bars?” 

“Every now and again.”

Crystal broke a lull by asking, “How about you? How did you meet?”

Jan put her hand over Jackie’s. “We met at our summer job my first year out of high school.”

The story that Jan delved into was adorable, Gigi was sure. However, her attention was focused on making it look like she was eating more than a few bites. While Gigi was eating the smallest bite possible, she felt her fangs descend. 

Garlic wasn’t even something that crossed her mind. It was something that hadn’t come up in the past, since it’s not like she was used to consuming food. It was something that Nicky had mentioned to Gigi so long ago she’d nearly forgotten. 

Trying her best to hide her fangs, Gigi asked, “I’m sorry, where is your bathroom?”

“First door on the right in the hallway,” Jackie replied.

Crystal locked eyes with Gigi, whose face was dripping with panic. 

Once inside the bathroom, Gigi locked the door and turned the lights on to see that her fangs were fully visible. No matter how hard she tried, Gigi couldn’t make them go back into their resting position. Out of pure desperation, she tried to push them back with her fingers, but succeeded in doing nothing but making her fingers bleed. 

There was a gentle knock on the door.

“It’s me,” Crystal said.

Gigi opened the door and wordlessly showed Crystal her appearance. 

“Oh, shit. Why…?”

“Garlic.”

“Can you make them go back?”

Gigi shook her head. “I’ve tried.”

Crystal moved her hair to the side and offered her neck. “It’s worth a shot.”

“Twice in a week? I don’t like this,” Gigi groaned.

“Do you have any better ideas?”

“No.”

“Take more than normal. I just ate so much food, I should be fine,” Crystal said as she locked the door. 

With a sigh, Gigi sank her claws into Crystal’s neck, who let out the quietest of moans. 

“Well?” Gigi asked as she rubbed her blood on Crystal’s neck.

Crystal shook her head. “They still look the same… I have an idea, though.”

“What?”

“We’ll say that you had an allergic reaction, we don’t have to say what exactly. After that, we get the fuck out of here,” Crystal said removing her scarf. “Cover your mouth with this.”

“You’re a genius, darling.”

“I know.”

“Is everything okay?” Jackie asked once they returned from the bathroom. 

“Allergic reaction,” Crystal answered. 

“Oh my God, Gigi I am so sorry!” Jan squeaked. 

“It’s fine, don’t blame yourself.”

“If you don’t need to come in tomorrow, don’t. I’ll be fine,” Jackie said.

“Thank you.” 

  
  


Gigi sat on the couch with a hand mirror as she examined her fangs. 

“Is there like some vampire guidebook somewhere that tells you what to do?” Crystal asked.

“No.”

“If you snapped them off, would they grow back? I have a hammer in the closet, I think.”

Gigi looked mortified. “No. No, they absolutely would not.”

“Do you think it’s permanent?”

“I don’t know if it’s wishful thinking, but I don’t.”

Crystal yawned. “Sorry.”

“Love, go to bed.”

“No. You’re clearly upset, and I want to be there for you.”

“No offense, darling, but I’m going to be upset regardless if you’re awake. I’m sure my fangs are going to be the same way when you wake up in the morning.”

  
  


Gigi was right. Crystal woke up to see her girlfriend on the couch with a hand mirror, her fingers covered in blood.

“Holy shit, babe. Your fingers are fucked.”

Gigi sucked the blood off of her fingers. “No, my fingers are fine. Do my fangs look any different?”

“No.”

“I suppose I should text Jackie and tell her I won’t be coming in.”

Crystal began to brew a cup of coffee. “Good idea. I don’t think mourning families wanna see… those. I mean, I like them, but…”

_ Hello, Jackie. I am still dealing with the allergic reaction from last night… Please don’t let Jan blame herself, it was not her fault, but I’m not coming in today.  _

Jackie, as always, texted back instantly.

_ About that… _

_ About what, exactly? _

_ Well… Someone was brought in and they’re in ROUGH shape. Really bad _

_ Bad enough that you can’t handle it yourself? Is it another animal attack? _

_ No. Just a LOT of decomposition… I promise if you come in, I’ll do all the visitations for a month! _

Gigi groaned as she stared at her phone.

_ Fine. _

_ You’re the best! _

_ I know. _

“What’s wrong?” 

“I have to go to work.” Gigi picked up the hand mirror and looked at her fangs once more. “Why can’t it be a social norm for everyone to wear masks in public?”

“That sounds horrible.”

“Well, it certainly would be helpful now. What are your plans for the day?”

“We’re installing parts of the exhibit today. Later, me and Jaida are getting lunch since we haven’t really had a chance to just talk since... that night.” Crystal quickly changed the subject. “Do you want my scarf to cover your face?”

“Yes, please.”

After setting her coffee mug on the table, Crystal went into their bedroom and grabbed several scarves, all with different colors, material, and patterns.

“Take your pick,” Crystal said as she held the scarves in front of her girlfriend.

“Do you really have to ask?”

Crystal wordlessly tossed the solid black scarf. 

“Have a good day at work, babe… Well, as good as it can be,” Crystal said as she kissed Gigi’s cheek.

“You, too.”

  
  


Before Gigi walked into the funeral home, she made sure to cover her face with the scarf Crystal gave her. Thankfully, Chicago in October was cold enough that wearing a scarf wasn’t out of the ordinary. However, wearing a scarf over the entire bottom half of the face looked a little odd, but Gigi was certain there were much weirder sights on the streets of Chicago. 

Jackie was waiting for Gigi in the lobby. 

“I am  _ so  _ sorry,” Jackie said. “I should have asked about allergies…”

“It’s okay. It’s not like I’ll be around the living today. I don’t think a corpse will care about my allergic reaction.”

Jackie laughed nervously. “True…”

Gigi looked at Jackie and noticed a small silver cross hanging from her neck. Jackie mentioned many times that she didn’t like wearing jewelry at work, not even her wedding ring. 

“Interesting necklace.” Gigi tried to sound nonchalant. 

“What? Oh. I’ve had it for a while, but haven’t worn it until now. Jan gave it to me a while ago. I guess talking about the crosses at the apartment made me think about it.”

Gigi raised an eyebrow. “What happened to no jewelry at work?”

Jackie shrugged. “I guess I felt like a change.”

“Right… Well, I’ll probably be a while. I’m going to leave right after if I finish, if that’s okay.”

“That’s fine. Thank you for coming in.”

While Gigi walked to the prep room, she put her hair into a messy bun, the same thought racing through her mind. There’s no way Jackie could know what she was, was there? 

  
  


Despite being excited to spend time with Jaida, Crystal felt bad, since all she could think about was Gigi. Still, she was determined to do her best to keep her girlfriend out of her mind for at least a little while. 

“Thanks for lunch, Jaida.”

“Don’t mention it. Although, I am  _ slightly _ judging you. Who goes to one of the best delis in Chicago and gets a cheese sandwich?” 

“It’s really good…”

Jaida laughed. “I’m just teasing. You’re not wrong.”

After eating in a comfortable silence, Jaida spoke up. “So, how did you and your girl meet?”

“We met at the club. Sometimes we joke about making up a better story.”

“No shame. Was it like in all the movies where you locked eyes across the club?”

Crystal laughed. “No, I went up to her at the bar.”

“At the bar?”

Crystal nodded.

“Part of me hoped that you saw her doing WAP on the dancefloor.”

“I love her, but one time I walked in on her doing the dance, and it is something I wish I could forget.”

Jaida laughed. “I guess we can’t all be my roommate, Vanessa. Where’s Gigi from? I know I only met her a second, but she didn’t seem like a Chicago girl at all.”

Crystal hesitated. She hadn’t asked Gigi what her fake backstory was. “The suburbs.”

“Oh, nice. I don’t know, there’s just something about her that seems interesting.”

Crystal smiled. “She is probably the most interesting person I know.”

“What’s she do?” Jaida asked as she took a sip of her Coke.

“She works at a funeral home, she’s the owner actually. Basically she’s the person they go to when the bodies are in extra bad shape.”

“Wow,” Jaida said. “I don’t think I could ever be surrounded by dead people all day.”

“Honestly, same. Sometimes she tells stories about work, and I need to ask her to stop, and by sometimes, I mean most times. Like, the other day, she told me about a body she saw that was killed in an animal attack, that had claw marks bigger than any animal she’d ever seen, which is saying a lot. Apparently their insides were on the outside.”

Jaida shifted in her chair. “Do they have any idea what did it?”

“Nope. Maybe it was a werewolf,” Crystal laughed.

“What else do we have to do to finish the exhibit?”

Crystal found the sudden change of subject odd. “We only have a few more installations. We’re extremely ahead of schedule. We’re three weeks from opening, and we’re almost done. We can relax.”

“You say that now.”

“Yeah, I’m sure in like a week I’m going to have a meltdown about how we aren’t getting everything done.”

Jaida laughed. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

“Did you have anything in mind for opening night? Like, themes or attire or anything else?”

“I was thinking since we’re opening on Halloween, maybe we could all wear costumes. But, not cheap shit like Spirit Halloween costumes.”

“I love Spirit Halloween!” Crystal whined.

“I do, too. But, you know what I mean. I want the costumes to be high class.”

“I think that’s a great idea.”

“You should definitely bring Gigi,” Jaida said. 

“Are you bringing anyone?” Crystal asked.

Jaida shook her head. “I had a boyfriend back home, but he found out about some… baggage, and decided it was too much. It’s okay, though. The sex was great, but that’s about it. Sometimes I'd talk to him and it was completely in one ear and out the other."

“God, that sounds like my ex-boyfriend.”

“Why do men? Anyway, you best be thinking about costumes.”

“I’ve got a few couple costumes in mind.”

  
  
  


Crystal had gotten home before Gigi. All she could hope was that her girlfriend’s fangs were back to normal, and that they wouldn’t be stuck forever. 

Usually, Crystal wasn’t one to greet Gigi at the door, but she was so concerned, she opened the door when she heard Gigi begin to unlock it. 

“How are you fangs?” Crystal asked the second Gigi stepped inside.

Gigi proudly smiled to show that her fangs were no longer visible. 

“When did that happen? How did it happen?”

“Honestly? I have no idea. I felt them retract while I was working.”

“Well now, if you ever write a vampire guidebook, which you should, you can put something in the ‘garlic’ chapter.”

“I can’t  _ stand _ you.” Gigi made sure to make her tone sound just as Crystal’s did when she said it.

“Using my words against me? A power move.”

A wicked smile formed on Gigi’s face. “I’ll show you a power move.”

With that, Gigi tackled Crystal so that she landed on the couch. Crystal laughed as Gigi kissed her neck.

“I’m not afraid of you!” Crystal retorted as she kissed her girlfriend. 

Immediately, Gigi pulled away and barred her fangs. “You should be.” 

“Is that so?” Crystal bit her lip suggestively. “Why would that be?”

Gigi ran her fangs up and down Crystal’s neck, drawing small drops of blood. “You know why.”

Crystal batted her dark eyelashes. “Actually, I don’t… In fact, I think you’re going to have to show me. Really spell it out for me, you know?”

Effortlessly pinning Crystal’s arms up over her head Gigi said, “You’d like that wouldn’t you? You’d like for me to rough you up, you filthy--”

Before Gigi could finish her sentence her phone, which was on the end table, rang. She reached for it as Crystal smacked her hand away. 

“Phone call later.  _ Please,  _ for the love of all things holy, finish that sentence.” 

“It’s Jackie.”

“Jackie can wait,” Crystal said as she ran her hand up her girlfriend’s skirt, which earned a wrist slap from Gigi. 

“Something could be wrong,” she said as she answered the call. “Hello?”

“Gigi, hi…” Jackie began. “So, Jan feels terrible about… everything, and was wondering if you would want to do dinner again.”

Crystal was sitting so close to Gigi that she could hear Jackie. 

“Turn speaker on,” Crystal mouthed. 

“How?” Gigi mouthed back.

Crystal stole her girlfriend’s phone and turned speaker on.

“Jackie, I already told you that it isn’t Jan’s fault. I promise that I’m not upset, and I’m fine.”

“I know… But we still would love to have you over again.”

Crystal’s eyes went wide as she mouthed, “No.”

Gigi shrugged. “We’re kind of busy… Crystal has the exhibit opening, so she doesn't have very much spare time.”

“Hi, Jackie. It’s Crystal. You’re on speaker, sorry. Why don’t you and Jan come over for drinks? Does Friday night work? Maybe at eight?”

“Friday would be great! I’ll tell Jan. How’s your allergic reaction, Gigi?”

“I’m fine,” Gigi said. “Crystal and I were actually in the middle of something, so I’m going to go now. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay! Bye.”

Gigi hung up. “Why did you invite them over?”

“I know people like Jackie. She’s not going to let up until you finally agree. I figure if we have them over here, we can make sure nothing like that happens, not that I think it would. Besides, Jan seems really sweet. It’d also be nice to share a bottle of wine with someone.”

“You seem to enjoy drinking an entire bottle by yourself,” Gigi smirked as she guided Crystal on her back. “Now… Where were we?”

“I can’t believe I suggested this,” Crystal groaned, as she sat on the couch absentmindedly petting Akasha.

“I can’t either,” Gigi muttered, while she ran her fingers down the smooth gold necklace she was wearing. “Let’s just get through this.”

Crystal groaned when she heard a knock on the door. “Guess I’m the good little trophy wife that’s gonna open the door this time.” 

Jan and Jackie stood in the doorway looking far too excited.

“Hi, come in,” Crystal said, gesturing for them to go inside. 

“You have a beautiful home,” Jan said while she hung her coat on the rack by the door.

“Thank you,” Crystal said.

“Oh, wow, Crystal did you paint that?” Jackie asked looking at the mural of an anatomical illustration of two people kissing. 

Crystal felt her face light up with pride. “I did. One day Gigi went to work, and I was off, and got bored.”

“And then I came home to be greeted by a half-completed mural,” Gigi said as she stood up from the couch and grabbed Crystal’s waist. 

“It’s really interesting,” Jan said as she looked at it further. 

“I tried to take some things that reminded me of Gigi, so obviously all the anatomical stuff, and then I tried to add aspects of myself, like the colors and the flowers.”

“Well, it’s absolutely incredible,” Jackie said. 

“Thank you!”

Jan turned to face Gigi, taking her by the hands. “Gigi, I am so,  _ so _ sorry about dinner…”

Unfortunately for Gigi, Jan was wearing her wedding ring which was made of silver. A sharp pain radiated from the back of her hand all the way to her wrist. 

Even though she did her best to hide her pain, Jan asked, “Is everything okay?”

Gigi nodded. “Must have eaten something bad at lunch.”

Looking down at the place on her hand where Jan’s ring touched, Gigi saw just how irritated the skin was, and stuck her hand in her pocket to make it less noticeable. 

“I’ve been feeling sick a  _ lot  _ lately, too,” Jan said.

Crystal looked around the silent room and cleared her throat. “Who wants wine? There’s a bottle in the kitchen.”

“I’ll help you,” Gigi said as she turned to go to the kitchen. In an afterthought, she looked at Jan and Jackie and gestured at the couch. “Please sit.”

“What the fuck happened to your hand?” Crystal whispered as soon as they made it into the kitchen. 

“You saw that?”

Crystal nodded. “What happened?”

“Jan’s wedding ring.” Gigi held her hand out to show the irritated skin that was beginning to blister. 

“Gross. Can your blood heal it?”

Gigi shook her head. “It has to go away on its own.”

“Does it hurt?”

“Oh, darling, it is absolutely excruciating,” Gigi said through a forced smile as she reached for the wine bottle.

“No, I got it,” Crystal picked up a corkscrew. “I figured tonight would be the night to break out the bottle with an actual cork. Are you going to be pretending to enjoy this tonight?”

“Maybe focusing on pretending to enjoy the wine will make me think less about how my hand feels like I dipped it in acid.” Gigi pulled her sleeve down strategically after she picked up two of the wine glasses. “Let’s go.”

Jackie was sitting on the couch when they returned, but Jan on the other hand was sitting on the floor petting Akasha.

“You are _ so  _ cute,” Jan cooed as Akasha rubbed against her thigh.

Gigi went to hand Jan a glass of wine, making sure the burn was still covered.

Jan held a hand up. “No thank you, I’m taking a break from drinking for now.”

“More for me I guess,” Gigi joked as she took a sip after setting down the full glass. It had been a few decades since her last sip of wine, but it was just as unpleasant as she remembered. 

“I can go get you something else!” Crystal said. 

“No, don’t worry about it! I’m fine.”

Once Gigi and Crystal were comfortable in the lounge chairs, Jackie said, “White wine? Nice choice.”

“Thank you. I’m not a fan of red. I feel like everyone just pretends to like it to feel classy,” Crystal laughed as she took a sip. 

“Yes!” Jan exclaimed. “They pretend they like it and then everyone is so dead-set on making it a thing that no one realizes that everyone actually hates it!”

“Absolutely.” 

“Sweet red wines can be good,” Jackie said.

Jan tapped her cheek pretending to think. “Hmm… No. I love you, sweetheart, but no.”

“What about you, Gigi?” Jackie asked. 

Taking another drink, Gigi couldn't help but notice that the wine was starting to taste worse. “I’m not a very big wine person, if I’m being honest.”

“For someone that’s not a wine person, you’re sure taking big sips, babe,” Crystal said, as she raised an eyebrow. “That’s how we used to drink pink moscato by the bottle back at Kendall…”

How was Gigi supposed to know how big of a sip of wine to take? She just wanted the glass empty. 

“Wait, you went to Kendall?” Jan asked, and Crystal nodded in response. “So did I!”

“You went to a pretentious art school? For what?”

“Musical theatre.”

“Oh, god, you’re a theatre kid?” Crystal teased. 

“What’d you major in?”

“Studio art.”

“Wasn’t that the major of the one girl that set the smoke detector in the library off? Did you know her?”

Crystal took a long drink. 

“That was  _ you _ ?” 

“Not my proudest moment! I had to study for an art history exam and I was stressed, and I thought if I hit my pen it wouldn’t set off the smoke detectors.”

“You’re infamous. My little sister said they still talk about it.”

“I’d like to think of myself as famous, actually.”

Jan and Crystal continued exchanging stories about school. They realized that their friend circles were more connected than she would have assumed. Crystal’s friend Widow was friends with Jan’s sorority sister, Brita. On the night of Widow’s twenty-first birthday, Brita was there. Crystal had only met her once, but that one time was memorable. 

Even though she wasn’t sure why, Gigi began to notice that Jan would make eye contact with her every so often.

Crystal could get along with genuinely anyone, and Jan appeared to be content talking to a tree. Gigi assumed they would get along, but didn’t expect them to form a friendship right away. It was clear that Crystal enjoyed Jan and Jackie’s company, and she had to admit she did, as well. 

When it was time to say goodbyes for the evening, Jan held Crystal’s hands in the way she had with Gigi’s earlier. With this in mind, when it came time for Gigi’s goodbyes, she offered a hug.

“Didn’t realize you were a hugger,” Jackie mused. 

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Jackie,” Gigi faked a smile as she hugged Jackie. “See you Monday.”

For a moment before shutting the door, Gigi could have sworn she saw Jan glare in her direction. 

“Smooth,” Crystal said when the door shut. “I actually enjoyed that a lot.”

“Me, too,” Gigi said, unable to get Jan glare out of her mind. 

  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i absolutely can't take credit for the dinner scene, it is heavily influenced from a scene in the US Being Human, even though it's different. The thought of vampire-ing out in the middle of dinner with humans seemed fun to write.
> 
> follow me on tumblr @themetaluna for extra ficlets that don't fit in that I wanted to write, like Crystal actually walking on Gigi doing the WAP dance, screaming about vampires, and much much more!


	7. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything Crystal spent working for finally pays off, it's Halloween, the opening of Jaida's exhibit. Even though Gigi is beyond happy for her girlfriend, that evening she meets a group of less than welcoming women.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween! I hope y'all have a great Halloween, be safe! 
> 
> As always thank you so much to my beta reader @JuniperJam for making sure I sound coherent

For Crystal, the next few weeks were an absolute whirlwind. Every spare moment she had was spent at the museum, on the phone with Jaida or Heidi, or doing something involving the exhibit. She didn’t have time to focus on anything else, including her girlfriend. 

“I’m glad I don’t sleep, otherwise I’d never get to see you,” Gigi mused one early morning as Crystal was scrambling to get ready with a cup of coffee in her hand. 

“We open in a week. I probably jinxed this when I told Jaida that we didn’t have much to get done a few weeks ago. Because why wouldn’t several things that had to be addressed all on the same day come up at once?” 

“Hey,” Gigi said as she placed her hands on Crystal’s shoulders. “You’re doing amazing.”

“No, I’m not. I’m not  _ doing  _ enough. I don’t know what else I could be doing, but I know I could be doing more. I feel like it’s  _ my  _ fault that we’re not as ahead as we were and I don’t know how to fix it,” Crystal said as she felt tears form. “Shit. All I do is fucking cry lately.”

“Shh,” Gigi said as she hugged her girlfriend. “I know that I have no idea how anything about art museums work, but I see how hard you’re working to know that you’re doing amazingly, darling. This exhibit is going to be incredible.”

“Thank you, babe.”

Gigi squeezed Crystal’s hand. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“God, I wish I could just stay at home and lay around with you all day.”

“I can call Jackie and tell her I’m not coming in.”

“I said ‘wish.’ There’s way too much shit to get done. Once the exhibit opens, we’ll do something together, though.”

“I hate that I haven’t been able to spend much time with you lately.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.” 

“I know, but I just miss you.” Crystal looked at her phone. “Shit. I gotta go. I’m sorry.”

“Again, love, you have nothing to apologize for. I’ll see you when you get home.”

“I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Crystal quickly kissed her girlfriend before heading off to work. 

Usually, Crystal found her commute to work relaxing, and used it as a time to clear her head. Instead, she felt panicked about all the work she had to do, and the work she hadn’t finished yet. No amount of One Direction throwbacks could change that. 

While she switched her playlist to one made of angsty songs from middle school, she got a text from Gigi.

_ You are incredible. Today is going to be a fantastic day. I love you.  _

_ awe i love you. have a great day servicing dead bodies, baby _

_ I love that you still bring that up a year later, especially considering you said you wanted to jump off a bridge when you said that out loud. _

_ uhhhh excuse you, i said walk off a cliff  _

_ I can’t stand you. _

_ stop using my words against me! _

Crystal couldn’t help but smile at her phone.

“What else do we have to do?” Heidi asked as they stood in the room for the exhibit. 

“Honestly, at this point, I have no fucking clue anymore. Ask Jaida,” Crystal’s tone was much more aggressive than she intended, so much so Heidi took a step back. “I’m sorry. I just…” 

Rock pulled Crystal to a corner. “Talk to me.”

“Just stressed about… everything.”

“Okay, well I have something that might just cheer you up.”

“Rock, I’ve had like four iced coffees today, I think I’ll have heart palpitations if I have any more caffeine.”

“Sometimes I think all you think about is iced coffee. The surprise is in your office… I promise it’s not another venti vanilla iced coffee with a shot of espresso.”

Crystal had no idea what the surprise could be. Her heart beat fast as she opened her office door. For all she knew it could be a box with a severed head.

Instead, she was pleasantly surprised to see her girlfriend sitting on the couch in her office. 

“Hello, darling. You seemed stressed this morning. I didn’t have a busy day at work, other than a death call, so I told Jackie I was leaving early.”

“Awe, baby.” Crystal couldn’t help but smile. “I love you.”

“You usually take your lunch at one, right?” 

Crystal nodded. “I actually already ate, though. Heidi brought us all cookies. Do you want to go for a walk?”

“Cookies aren’t lunch,” Gigi scolded lightly. “But if you say so.”

“I do say so. Let’s go.”

As Crystal and Gigi descended the stairs, Crystal muttered, “Shit.”

“What is it, love?”

“I forgot my phone.”

Crystal made her way back into her office, and Gigi stood outside the door. As she traced the pattern in her necklace, she looked up to see Jaida.

“Jaida, hi.”

“Hi, Gigi.”

The tension in the air could have been cut with a knife.

“I know what you are,” Jaida whispered.

“And I know what you are, too. It’s not often I interact with werewolves, but I know when I’m around one. Vampires can smell wolves. How do you know what I am?”

“We can just feel the presence. I guess it’s a defense mechanism. As much as I hate to admit it, y’all are the apex predators. Not us.”

“I see.”

Jaida remained tight lipped before finally responding. “I don’t want there to be any hostility between us.”

“If that’s really the case, then tell me why  _ this  _ was what I had to try to salvage last month?” 

Gigi quickly pulled up the photo of the body killed in the animal attack from the month prior.

“Jesus Christ,” Jaida whispered, putting her hand over her mouth. 

Even though Jaida knew it wasn’t a relevant question, she had to know. “Why do you have that saved?” 

“Don’t act so shocked. I have it saved because I knew more than likely I’d run into the wolf that did it. Was this you, or was this someone in the pack you belong to?”

“It wasn’t me. It had to have been someone in my pack…”

“ _ Your _ pack? You’re the leader of the pack, and you can’t control them?”

“Gigi. I  _ promise  _ you that I want to coexist together. We didn’t come here by choice. We were chased out of Milwaukee by vampires.”

“I don’t know if I believe anything you just said,” Gigi said coolly. “But, my girlfriend seems to trust you, and I trust her. Just know that if I have to reconstruct  _ one  _ more body mutilated by your kind, you’ll need to find somewhere new to go. I’ve heard Detroit is _lovely_ this time of year.”

Any other time, Jaida would laugh at Gigi's joke. Now wasn't the time. 

“I promise, I will make sure I find out who did this, and to make sure that there are repercussions.”

“Fair enough.”

“Are we safe?” 

“As long as you and your pack stay off the radar, you will be fine. If another incident occurs, it will be out of my hands. It would go above me to the council where things would be… taken care of.”

In response, Jaida only managed to gasp sharply. 

“Jaida, I’m not trying to threaten you, I promise. I’m trying to warn you.”

“I appreciate it,” Jaida murmured. “I have… I have to go warn my sisters.”

While Gigi and Jaida stood wordlessly, neither woman realized Crystal had returned.

“Everything okay?” Crystal asked brightly.

Jaida managed to force a smile. “Gigi and I were just getting to know each other.”

“It was nice talking to you, Jaida.”

“You, too. Excuse me,” Jaida said lightly touching Crystal’s arm before walking away. 

“Is she okay?” 

Gigi nodded. “I think she’s just stressed like you are.”

“I don’t blame her. Jesus Christ, that woman’s been running on fumes.”

“Are you ready?” Gigi asked as she reached for Crystal’s hand.

Crystal nodded. “Let’s go.”

While they walked down the staircase, Crystal couldn’t help but wonder what Gigi and Jaida had talked about. 

Not only was Halloween Crystal’s favorite day of the year, but it was also the opening of the exhibit. Usually she hated waking up in the morning, so much so, that there were times that Gigi had to force her out of bed. Today was different. Crystal was so full of excitement, she barely got an ounce of sleep.

She crept into the living room to a familiar sight, her girlfriend on the couch watching a movie.

“Happy Halloween!” Crystal greeted happily. “Did you finally finish watching all the  _ Halloween  _ movies while I was asleep?”

Gigi nodded. “It took long enough. Why are there eleven films, and why does the timeline make absolutely no sense?”

“ _Eleven_? I told you the Rob Zombie ones sucked and not to bother with them,” Crystal smirked as she blew on her cup of coffee. 

“Love, in all honesty, I only enjoyed the first three. The 2018 one was decent, I guess.”

Crystal sat on the couch next to her girlfriend. “Excuse you?  _ Decent _ ? The 2018 one was phenomenal. Throwing out that fucked up timeline was the best thing they could have done. Also, people give the third one so much shit, but it’s a good movie! All because it doesn’t have Michael. But yeah, the others suck. Why do you think those were the only three we watched together?”

“I understand completely. They still weren’t as bad as some of the  _ Friday the Thirteenth  _ sequels.  _ Jason X  _ was damn near unwatchable.”

Crystal grasped invisible pearls. “I think I need to end this relationship. Jason goes to space is one of the single most iconic pieces of film that has ever been created.”

“I’ll have my things packed by tomorrow. I’m getting full custody of Akasha.”

“I’m going to file for joint custody. See you in court, babe.”

Gigi rested her head on Crystal’s collar bone. “You’re opening your first exhibit tonight as the creative director of the Chicago Museum of Visual Arts. How do you feel?” 

Crystal’s smile took up her entire face. “I’m just so excited.”

“I figured as much. I’m excited, too. I can’t say I’ve ever been to an opening of an art exhibit.”

“We’re gonna look so good tonight!” Crystal squealed. 

“I haven’t dressed up for Halloween since… It’s been a very long time. Probably decades.”

“God you’re so  _ old _ ,” Crystal said as she laced her fingers with her girlfriend’s. 

Gigi kissed Crystal’s hand. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Crystal decided to wear a stripped sweater and fedora to work and brought a pumpkin filled with candy to work. Rock, Heidi, and Jaida were in a group talking about the opening.

"One, two, Crystal's coming for you," Rock sang. 

“Happy Halloween!” Crystal said as she offered candy, which everyone gladly took.

“Please tell me that’s not what your costume is going to be tonight,” Jaida said.

“It’s not. Me and Gigi have a couple’s costume planned.”

“That’s exciting,” Heidi said. “I’m going to be --”

Jaida held a hand up. “All costumes are gonna be a surprise.”

The women walked the exhibit, and once they finished, Crystal said, “I think we’ve done everything we can. If we mess with the small details, we’re going to make it worse. I think it’s fantastic as is.”

“Agreed,” Rock said. “It’s incredible.”

“Well, I say we all head home and get ready! We deserve a break.” Jaida said. “Y’all aren’t ready for the look I’m serving tonight.”

“We’re gonna look so cute tonight,” Crystal said as she sat at the kitchen table doing her makeup. “I’m so excited for my hair.”

“It’s been a few decades since I’ve done pin curls,” Gigi said with a hairpin in her mouth. “But I think they’ll be okay.”

“Yours look really good.” Crystal turned around to look at Gigi’s hair, which was already done.

“Turn back around.”

“Okay, Mom.”

“I think you’re done now.”

“Thank you, babe,” Crystal said as she pecked her girlfriend on the lips.

“Are you still going to do my makeup?”

“Yes! Not that there’s much to do,” Crystal said. “You already look dead.”

“Darling, I am dead.”

Crystal rolled her eyes. “I can’t stand you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Switch places with me. God, I hope that liquid latex sticks to you.”

“I don’t see why it wouldn’t. Besides if it doesn’t, I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”

“I love how you’re always so confident in me,” Crystal said as she began stippling latex to Gigi’s neck. “Oh, good. It’s working.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I don’t know. I’ve always been confident in myself, but I knew that people around me didn’t believe me. You make me believe in myself.”

“I love you.” Gigi turned for a kiss.

“Stop! You’re going to mess up the makeup. Turn around.”

“Okay, Mom.”

Gigi and Crystal stood in front of the mirror hung in the hallway, admiring their costumes. 

Crystal frowned. “I don’t think I like the gloves with the dress.”

“I agree. But, I have something better.”

“What is it?”

“Follow me,” Gigi said, as she took her girlfriend’s hand and led her into the bedroom. 

“I don’t think we have time, even if we’re quick, we’re going to ruin the makeup…” 

“That is not at all what I had in mind. Maybe later. Close your eyes.” 

Gigi reached under the bed for the same box with her old photos. In the box along with the old photos was her most prized possession that she hadn’t touched in decades. She felt the soft velvet and momentarily felt as though she was transported back into her parent’s home in her bedroom with her sister. 

“Hold your hands out.”

Crystal did as instructed as Gigi set the jewelry box in her open palms.

“Open it.”

Crystal gasped as she opened the box and picked up the necklace. “It’s so beautiful, babe! Where did you get it?”

“My sister gave it to me the day that I was turned. I only got to wear it once.”

“I wish you could put it on me,” Crystal said as she admired the necklace.

“Hold that thought. I have an idea,” Gigi said as she went back out into the kitchen. 

“What are you doing?” Crystal called.

Gigi returned wearing the gloves Crystal decided to not wear. 

“Now I can.”

“And touching it isn’t going to have the same effect as when Jan’s wedding band touched you?”

Gigi shook her head. “No. It just can’t touch bare skin.”

“Something else for the vampire guidebook,” Crystal joked. 

“I’ve been waiting to give you this for a while, but I was waiting for the right time. This feels like the right time,” Gigi said, as she gently moved Crystal’s hair to one side as she clasped the necklace.

Crystal looked down. “I love it so much. I love _ you  _ so much. It means the world that you trust me with this.”

Gigi held her girlfriend’s hands. “You make me feel more human in the past year than I ever felt in the past ninety.” 

“The way you talked before you met me was as if you had no feelings toward humans. That’s not true. If that were true, you would have killed me that night.”

“Meeting you made a switch flip, I guess.”

“There was no switch, you’re not nearly as much of a badass as you think you are, Gigi Goode,” Crystal joked.

“Excuse me?” Gigi asked as her fangs were on full display.

Crystal rolled her eyes, and said with a baby voice, “Ooh, does my baby have scary pointy teeth? No fangs for tonight. You’re human, remember?” 

At first Gigi didn’t want to dress up, but she knew it meant the world to Crystal, so she let Crystal take the lead on the choice of costumes. The moment Crystal suggested a vampire and her victim, Gigi rolled her eyes. Once Crystal suggested they dress in 1920’s fashion, Gigi agreed.

They spent weeks scouring the Internet for the perfect dresses. Because Gigi lived in the twenties, she was extremely anal in making sure the costumes were accurate.

“You made the bite mark look incredible,” Gigi said, as she examined it using her phone’s camera. 

“Thank you. That was all I needed to do. You look so dead already.”

“Love, I am dead. We’ve gone over this many times. Is being a vampire everything you could have ever dreamed?” 

“Yes, honestly. Even if these fangs give me a lisp. Also, if I was from the 1920s, I’d feel beautiful all the time,” Crystal said as she spun in her dress. “Plus, being covered in blood makes me feel like a badass bitch.”

“You  _ are  _ beautiful all the time, and you’re a badass bitch all the time.”

“Gay.” Crystal looked Gigi up and down. “Yellow is your color, babe.”

Gigi smiled.

“What is it?” Crystal asked.

“It’s just… My sister always used to say that.”

Crystal squeezed her hand. “She sounds like she was incredible.”

“We’re going to be late,” Gigi said, immediately changing the subject. “Let’s go!”

The entire exterior of the museum was decorated immaculately. Crystal made a mental note to send fancy thank-you baskets to the company responsible. It was beyond anything Crystal could have dreamed. The moment they made their way to the exhibit, servers were waiting with trays of champagne, which Crystal graciously took. 

When they made their way to the exhibit and Crystal saw Jaida, her jaw dropped. Jaida wasn’t lying when she said she was gonna serve a look. She was dressed as Little Red Riding Hood with a cape that flowed behind her effortlessly. 

“You look  _ amazing _ ,” Crystal said as she took in Jaida’s appearance. 

“Thank you! I like y’all’s costumes… A vampire and the victim… Cute…” Jaida trailed off looking at Gigi. “Your makeup is incredible.” 

“Crystal is very talented,” Gigi said as she held her girlfriend’s hand.

“Clearly,” Jaida said, not taking her eyes off of Gigi.

Every single time Gigi and Jaida interacted, the air was tense. It was just like at the museum, and in Jaida’s apartment. Crystal couldn’t help but wonder what was wrong. 

She didn’t have time to think about it, because Heidi and Rock were waving her over across the room.

Gigi had met Crystal’s friends before, and thought they were nice enough people, but opted to look at the art rather than exchange pleasantries. 

“I saw you and Gigi come in, you looked amazing!” Rock said. 

“You look good, too. Kayako, right?” Crystal asked.

“Kayako, but make it  _ fashion _ ,” Rock said as she struck a pose with her hair over her eye as she made a croaking sound. “ _ The Grudge  _ is a masterpiece, and I’m going to make sure that’s known… The Japanese version, I mean. The American one is trash. Normal Kayako? The definition of basic bitch. That boring ass white potato sack dress? No, no, no, this is fashion.” 

Crystal couldn’t argue with her, Rock’s dress was incredible, and her makeup was perfect.

“How the hell did you know who she was?” Heidi asked. “I thought she was a zombie. I had no idea she was  _ The Grudge _ girl.” 

“I had a Japanese horror movie phase in college… And you… You’re…” Crystal trailed off.

Truthfully, Crystal had no idea what Heidi was supposed to be. She was wearing a nice dress and accessories that looked to be from a decade that could have been anywhere from the 1920s to the 1950s.The tip of her nose was black, and she had a life preserver on.

“Can’t you tell? I’m a Titanic victim.” 

While Gigi was looking at a particularly interesting painting of a woman who looked to be mid-transformation, she felt Jaida’s eyes on her.

“Hi, Jaida,” Gigi said quietly.

“Gigi.”

“Congratulations. I truly mean it. Your art is exquisite.”

“Thank you. I just wanted to double check… We’re okay, right? Like even if you don’t  _ like  _ me, you’ll tolerate me?”

“I never said I didn’t like you. Crystal likes you, so I’m going to try to like you, too. But just remember, if anything happens to her at the hands of you or your pack, I won’t hesitate to take care of it.”

Before Jaida could respond, Crystal joined the women. “Everything okay?”

“Of course!” Jaida said, as five women approached her. 

Each of the women, like Jaida, were dressed as fairytale characters, Little Bo Peep, Snow White, Goldilocks, Alice, and Ariel. Unlike Jaida’s elegant costume, their costumes were made with about half of the fabric, their athletic figures on full display. 

“...Y’all. I told you  _ not  _ to look like you’re going to a frat house,” Jaida groaned. 

“We look good,” the girl dressed as Ariel said. 

Jaida rolled her eyes. “Crystal, Gigi, these are my friends and roommates, Scarlet, Yvie, Kameron, Brooke, and Vanessa.” 

Each of the girls muttered pleasantries to Crystal, but completely ignored Gigi. 

Before Crystal could address the coldness directed at Gigi, Heidi called her name. 

“I’ll be back!” Crystal said before following Heidi. 

“Oh, so you’re the one Jaida told us about,” Snow White, who Gigi remembered to be named Yvie, said once Crystal walked away. 

“I don’t want a problem, and I’m sure you don’t either.”

“I think some of us do,” Kameron, the girl dressed as Goldilocks said, looking at Brooke, who was dressed as Alice. 

“We don’t trust fangers,” Brooke hissed. 

Gigi rolled her eyes at the slur. “And I tend to not trust a pack of  _ bitches _ . If you want to exchange obscenities, by all means. But, I’d like to have a mature conversation, if that’s okay.”

“Ladies…” said Vanessa, whose Ariel costume fit as though it was made for her, “We don’t need a repeat of Milwaukee…” 

Kameron sighed. “Okay, fine, but you better fucking watch it.”

“Do you really think I have time to concern myself with some species war? I have a business to run and a girlfriend to spend time with. I don’t want there to be any sort of problem. I’m finally living comfortably. But, if something… arises, I won’t hesitate to take care of it,” Gigi warned. “Jaida and my girlfriend genuinely seem like friends, and I want my girlfriend to be happy, and I’m sure you want your pack leader to be happy. Can we play nice?”

The pack exchanged looks and nodded.

“Good. Well, it was nice talking to you.” Gigi walked away without waiting for a response.

Crystal returned with another glass of champagne, which was already almost empty. Taking another swig she asked, “Everything good?”

“Everything is great, darling.”

Determined to have a fun night, Crystal chose to believe Gigi, even if she knew deep down she probably shouldn’t. There was something unsettling about Jaida’s friends, but Crystal forced the thought from her head. A group of bitchy women was not going to ruin everything she worked for. 

Gigi genuinely enjoyed the exhibit. Jaida was an incredible artist, and it showed in each of the pieces that were displayed. She and Crystal spent their night choosing their favorite pieces. While the two of them walked hand in hand through the exhibit, Gigi couldn’t help but smile at the feeling of normalcy. 

“Pack meeting,” Kameron muttered to Brooke. “Get everyone.  _ Except  _ Jaida.”

Brooke nodded. “Meet in the parking lot?”

“Be there in five.”

Once the pack was gathered outside, Kameron began. 

“Sisters… We thought Chicago would be our city. We thought this would be our fresh start. Here we are, with another fucking _fanger_. I’m not going to let it stand. I’m sure there are more of us than there are of them.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure…” Vanessa trailed off.

“You don’t know that,” Brooke said. “We could have the upper hand here.”

“I say that rather than us running away, we make  _ her  _ run away. This could be our city," Kameron suggested, her voice commanding the attention of the pack. 

“That is the stupidest shit I think I’ve ever heard,” Yvie said, staring at her phone. 

“Just imagine us being able to live peacefully in this city. Milwaukee was a shit show. We lived in constant fear. I refuse to have that happen again.”

“What do you have in mind?” Brooke asked.

“According to Jaida, the fanger has been in Chicago her entire life. I’m sure she has  _ someone  _ we can go after. I don’t think vampires can love, but there’s gotta be someone that we could… We could send a message. I say we don’t go after the fang banger, it’s too obvious.”

“Kameron… Think about what you’re saying, please. Don’t be too rash. She’s stronger than we are, even around a full moon. Even if there are more of us, I’ve heard rumors about how they have vampires set in each city to make sure shit like this  _ doesn’t  _ happen…” Yvie trailed off.

“I don’t believe it,” Vanessa said firmly. “I’m in.”

“But Jaida--” Scarlet began.

“That  _ bitch  _ should not be our fucking fearless leader,” Kameron said, her words full of malice. “I was the first to turn, not her. She only inherited it from her mother, and we all know it. I deserve to be pack leader, and I’m going to prove it. Are you in or are you out, sisters?”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooh what happens next? Unfortunately the next chapter will be delayed, I'm busy the next week or so, and work's about to be INSANE, not much time for writing :(
> 
> Follow me on tumblr @themetaluna


	8. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Events unfold causing Gigi and Jaida's nearly nonexistent relationship to become strained.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone! If you don't follow my (very active) tumblr, yes I am alive! My final project for the semester was due, and work has been killer but finally I'm back! This chapter is a bit shorter than normal, but I hope the events that unfold will make up for it :))
> 
> As always thank you to the queen @juniperjam for beta reading, correcting my abuse of commas, managing to make it through a chapter I edited half asleep, and being iconic and lovely. 
> 
> Also a big thank you to True Blood for giving the best slurs for vampires.

The rest of the weekend was one of the best that Gigi could recall for decades. Crystal was absolutely radiant from her excitement and pride from the opening. Not only that, but Gigi finally got to spend some much needed time with her girlfriend.

“Do you ever plan on taking that necklace off?” Gigi smirked, as she and Crystal were cuddled on the couch one morning with their fingers interlaced. 

“Let me think about that.” Crystal tapped her chin as she pretended to be deep in thought. “Yeah, no. It’s not every day you get the most meaningful gift of your entire life.”

“It only made sense to give it to the love of my life.”

Crystal shut her eyes and smiled. “The love of your life?”

Gigi nodded. “I said what I said.”

Rolling her eyes at Gigi, Crystal replied, “The way you’re literally adapting your speech patterns because of me. We're clearly spending too much time together."

“If you want, I can go to work early…” Gigi trailed off, pretending to get off the couch.

Crystal pulled her down by the arm and yawned. “Babe, no.”

“You should go to sleep. Why are you up this early, anyway?”

Crystal shrugged. “I don’t work until later today. I can sleep for a couple of hours when you’re at work. I missed you.”

Gigi checked her phone. “I have to get ready for work.”

“No,” Crystal whined as Gigi got up from the couch. “Baby, come back.”

“Someone’s happy,” Jackie smirked as she watched Gigi come through the front door, with a newfound spring in her step. 

Gigi shrugged. “It was a great weekend.”

“Since you’re in a good mood…” 

“What do you need, Jackie?”

“Well, Jan has an appointment today, and I’d  _ really  _ like to be there with her, if that’s okay.”

“Jan’s a grown woman, can’t she go to her appointments by herself?”

“Normally, yeah of course. But this is special...”

“I don’t follow.”

“Gigi, Jan’s pregnant. It’s her first ultrasound.”

Trying her hardest to sound excited, Gigi said, “Oh, that’s amazing. Congratulations.” 

“Thank you! We’ve known since a few days before you and Crystal came over for dinner. We just didn’t want to jinx it or anything, we’ve heard horror stories about in vitro taking a turn for the worse.”

“I understand.”

“Crystal already knows. Jan told her, so you don’t have to keep it a secret. To be honest, I didn’t expect them to become such good friends.”

“It definitely was a fast friendship. I think Crystal mentioned they’re getting drinks later this week, but I guess that means Crystal will be drinking, and Jan will be watching.”

“True. I looked at the schedule, nothing too crazy. We’ve been dead lately,” Jackie said laughing at her own pun. 

“At least the holidays are coming up. Business will be booming.”

The joke went completely over Jackie’s head. “Okay. I better go.”

“Congratulations, again.” 

Sitting in her office, Gigi unsuccessfully attempted to get the pang of jealousy she felt to leave her head. From the time she was born, Gigi was being trained to be the perfect trophy wife, motherhood included. While she was a human, having a husband was never appealing, but having children was something she’d always wanted. 

It was still something she thought about, as much as she’d like to deny it. 

Obviously, having children was impossible. Even if it wasn’t, Crystal made it very clear on multiple occasions that she didn’t want them, and was genuinely shocked to learn it was something her girlfriend wanted. 

Perusing the file of the body that was on its way, she groaned. Another animal attack, species unknown. Gigi couldn't help but wonder what member of Jaida’s pack was responsible this time around, and had her guess as to who was responsible the first time. 

She wondered Crystal had caught on to Jaida’s lycanthropy. It was quite possible that Jaida had told her, or so Gigi told herself. Or, it was possible her girlfriend could have caught on by herself. Unfortunately for her, there was no natural way to ask your partner if she knew her coworker turned into a wolf at the full moon. 

Realizing she’d been lost in her thoughts for half an hour, Gigi sighed, knowing had to start her work day. She already knew the body was going to be in bad shape. She hoped the mangled body would distract her from her relentless thoughts. Unlike the previous body, Gigi decided it would be in her best interest to make the body as presentable as possible, mainly because she had a feeling she’d be seeing more animal attacks just after the next full moon. 

When the body arrived, Gigi went out the back door to meet the morgue staff. It was the same girl as usual, a shy blonde girl whose name Gigi somehow had never caught, but somehow managed to exchange pleasantries each time. 

Just as Gigi suspected, the corpse was in worse condition than the other attack, riddled with deep claw marks. Upon examination, Gigi noticed that the carotid was completely shredded, and not viable to start the injecting embalming fluid. While not as ideal, the femoral was left untouched. Raising the vein, she got to work knowing she had a difficult job ahead.

After she finished, Gigi sat in her office running her fingers over the smooth glass pendant around her neck. Her curiosity grew as she wondered if there were any more victims other than the two she’d seen. 

Her suspicions were correct. 

There were four other reports of animal attacks of unknown origin, all bodies found in the same area, a wooded area just outside of the city. 

While stuck in a rabbit hole of articles, each reporting a different attack, Gigi felt her phone vibrate.

_ hi baby. i feel a killer migraine coming on and rock and heidi said they could cover. the thought of public transportation rn is digusting and i reallllllly dont wanna do the ten minute walk back to the apartment. if you arent too busy can you give me a ride home? love you babe _

_ Yes, of course, darling. I’ll be there soon. Love you, too.  _

When Gigi got to the museum, she saw Jaida in the stairwell.

“Hey, Gigi,” Jaida said brightly. “Are you bringing Crystal home? Poor thing.”

“I am. Can we talk in private?” 

“Of course,” Jaida said as she led them to a corridor at the top of the stairs. “What’s up?”

“I need to know why I have seen two bodies killed by werewolves. One was today, and one was last month, and there were several more that I didn’t personally see in the past few months. I take it there isn’t another pack in the city.”

Jaida bit her lip. “You’re right. We’re the only one.”

“And you’re the pack leader, correct?”

“Yes.”

“What do you know about this?”

Pursing her lips, Jaida said, “Honestly, Gigi, I have no idea. I’m going to be real with you, my pack has been slipping away from me, and I’ve truthfully been too busy to do anything. I’ve completely neglected my responsibilities. It’s getting worse with every full moon. I can tell they don’t respect me as the pack leader. Not that you probably care.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Like I said, if more… problems arose, it would be out of my control, and unfortunately, it’s gotten to that point. I couldn’t give a damn about what your pack does, truthfully. But, those in positions of power  _ do  _ care, and they’re going to find out. They have to.”

“How would they find out?”

Gigi remained silent.

“Gigi. How. Would. They. Find. Out?”

“I’m sorry. I have to look out for my kind. Your best bet would be to leave town. I’m sorry, Jaida.”

“I have to warn them… I have…”

Gigi left the stairway without looking back. When she got to Crystal’s office, she saw that the light was shut off. 

Gently opening the door, she saw her girlfriend laying on the couch in her office with a pillow over her face. 

Crystal moved the pillow off her face and managed a small smile. “Hi, baby.”

“Let’s get you home.” 

Once Gigi led Crystal to their bed and tucked her in, she said, “I have to go back to work for a little bit. I need to do the embalming report. I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

Crystal moaned. “Baby…”

Gigi kissed her girlfriend’s forehead and stroked her hair. “I’ll be quick, I promise.”

Driving back to Evermore, Gigi couldn’t stop thinking about the werewolf attacks. While she hoped that there wouldn’t be anymore, her gut told her otherwise. It was clear that Jaida’s pack was unpredictable, and it certainly didn’t help that she didn’t have a hold on them. Gigi couldn’t help but wonder how Jaida became the pack leader in the first place. 

The report took longer than Gigi hoped. Despite trying her hardest to finish it quickly, there was too much to record. 

By the time she finished, night had fallen, the back parking lot lit only with flickering street lights. 

Gigi felt as though something was wrong.

She was being watched. 

As a light breeze picked up as an unpleasant odor filled the air. Werewolves were in the immediate area.

“Ladies, please, can we talk like adults? The stalking isn’t necessary,” Gigi called. 

“She’s clever,” Kameron said sarcastically, as she appeared from the shadows along with Brooke.

“What are you doing? Following me to my place of work? I know I’m incredibly interesting, but damn.”

Brooke rolled her eyes. “Get over yourself.”

“What are you doing here?” Gigi demanded, dropping her pleasant tone. 

“Just observing. Brooke and I here were concerned for the safety of our pack.”

Gigi rolled her eyes. “You can’t be serious.”

“Actually we are,” Brooke said.

“I told you already. I have more important things to worry about than your pack. I have priorities, and a species war is not one of them. I’m assuming you’re responsible for the animal attacks I’ve had the pleasure of seeing?”

Brooke gasped. “She  _ is  _ clever.”

“I’m not quite sure why werewolves would want to kill humans. Quite frankly, I don’t care, and in all honestly I don’t care that you kill people. But I’m sick of salvaging the dead bodies, and I don’t want my life to change from how it is now.”

“It’s the thrill of the hunt, fanger,” Kameron explained. “The feeling of freedom is unlike anything. You can’t tell me you don’t feel powerful when you drain the life out of innocents.”

“ _ Again  _ with the name calling? Whatever makes you feel powerful, I suppose. I’m going to ask you one more time before I call the police, since you’re trespassing at my business:  _ what are you doing here _ ?” 

“Oh no, Kam, we’re trespassing,” Brooke said mockingly.

“It has come to our attention that you threatened our pack leader.”

“Threatened? I didn’t threaten her.”

“That’s not what she said.”

“I was trying to warn her. It’s truly in your best interests to leave. I want you out of this city, if nothing else, for your own safety,” Gigi said coolly. 

“It’s not about what you want, fanger,” Brooke said as she pulled a stake from her jacket. “What’s to come is inevitable.”

“Wow, she’s got a flare for the dramatic,” Gigi rolled her eyes but still took a cautious step back. “I’m going to leave, and for your sake, do  _ not  _ follow me.”

“Fucking fanger!” Kameron called. “I’d watch over your little fang banger if I was you.”

Gigi had never turned around so quickly. “If you fucking touch her, I will not hesitate to rip your each of your limbs off, and I will make  _ sure  _ that it hurts, and I will enjoy doing it. I have ways of making people disappear. If anything happens to Crystal, you’ll go missing only for you to never be found or heard from again.”

Without looking back, Gigi went to her car. 

As she drove, she dialed a number she didn’t think she’d ever need to call. “Hello, It’s Gigi Goode. Yes, I’m still in Chicago. We’ve got a problem. Werewolves. I believe something is brewing, and I can’t handle it alone, unfortunately.”

By the time Gigi made it back to the apartment, Crystal had migrated to the couch. 

“Babe, you’re back.”

“I am,” Gigi tried to sound calm.

Crystal sat up. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m okay,” Gigi said as she sat next to her girlfriend. “Remember last month when there was a severe animal attack?” She hoped that Crystal wouldn’t question any further. 

“Yeah, Jackie said that the body wasn’t recognizable. Did it happen again?”

“Yes. Filling out the report took forever, and reading it back made me realize how bad it was.”

“I’m sorry, baby,” Crystal said resting her head on Gigi’s shoulder. 

“I’ll spare you the details, but it was a lot. If I could get tired, I would be tired.”

“I love you,” Crystal said quietly as she yawned.

“How are you feeling?” 

“Like shit, but at least I can function. I think I’m going to take a bath and go to bed, if you want to join me.”

“I’d love to.”

While she sat with Crystal in their bathtub, Gigi took in her girlfriend’s beauty as she gently massaged her shoulders. 

“Are you okay, babe?” Crystal asked, turning around.

“Just thinking.”

“About what?”

_ About how everything we’ve built together has the potential of being ripped away from us by your coworker’s pack. Oh, by the way, if you were unaware, your coworker is a werewolf. It takes much, much more than a mangled body to make me this afraid, and I thought you would catch onto that. In all honesty, I'm not sure how you haven't. But I also don’t know how to tell you without worrying you.  _

“Us. Darling, I love you so, so much.”

“I love you, too,” Crystal said as she leaned in for a kiss.

Once Gigi broke the kiss, she heard a knock on the door. She wrapped a towel around herself as Crystal said, “Who’s coming over this late?”

“Who knows?” 

When Gigi opened the door, she saw a face she hadn’t seen in decades.

“Hello, Gigi.”

“Nicky?” Gigi whispered incredulously. 

Nicky smiled. “Did you miss me, angel?” 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooOOOOOOOOoooo hopefully I can update soon! I think I should be able to. I have plenty of ideas for what's to come ;)
> 
> follow my tumblr for tomfoolery, outtakes, and high thoughts @themetaluna


	9. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crystal is overwhelmed when she finds out the details about Gigi and Nicky's past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! Sorry for the delay, retail during the holidays is crazy. As always thank you to Juno for being a queen and beta reading and brainstorming and keeping me from throwing my laptop out the window.

Once the initial shock passed, Gigi hissed, “What are you doing here?”

“Is that any way to speak to your mother?” Nicky asked, pretending to be shocked.

“You aren’t my mother. You’re my maker. Again, what are you  _ doing _ here?”

“The council instructed me to clean up whatever mess you made.”

“It’s not my mess. We’re dealing with werewolves, which I’m assuming the council told you. Speaking of, I know they’re not happy with me, but goddamn, they must really hate me. They couldn’t have sent someone else? Anyone else? They could have sent Kyne, Kiara, Lucia… anyone. But they chose you.”

“Kyne and Kiara are too busy hanging off of each other. It’s been decades, and they’re still like two horny teenagers. As for Lucia, we both know she’s off chasing blood whores. Far too busy to do anything involving any semblance of responsibility. How she’s ranked higher than me, I’ll never know. Besides, I volunteered.”

“Of course you did.”

Nicky peeked her head inside the apartment. “Nice place. Can I come in?”

“No. No, you can’t. You are not welcome here.”

“It’s been thirty years, and you’re just as dramatic as ever. If I can’t come in, how are we going to discuss what to do about the current situation?”

Gigi looked behind her to see if Crystal had left the bathroom.

“What are you looking at? You look like you’re scared of being caught, angel.” Nicky gasped “Wait. Are you actually seeing someone? Who is it? There’s barely any vampires in this city, let alone gay women.”

She said nothing.

“You can’t be serious. You’re dating a _human_? I know I’ve kept my blood whores through the years. Does she live with you?” 

“That is none of your business. I don’t want to go over this right now. Come back in the morning.” Gigi shut the door before Nicky could respond.

“Everything okay?” Crystal asked, drying her hair with a towel when Gigi returned to the bathroom.

Nodding a little too quickly, Gigi said, “Yes, absolutely. Someone had the wrong apartment.”

Crystal raised an eyebrow. “What happened to no more secrets?”

“Hmm?”

“You’re keeping something from me. Again.” Crystal shut the bathroom light off and walked away, leaving Gigi in the dark.

Crystal sighed as she sat on the bed brushing her hair, and didn’t react when Gigi sat next to her. 

“I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” It was clear Crystal was fishing for the apology she knew she deserved. 

“I’m sorry that I have a hard time telling you what is on my mind. It has absolutely nothing to do with you, and I want you to know that. I have been alone for the past thirty years. I’m not used to others wanting me to open up to them. It’s absolutely no excuse, and I’m sorry. Please understand that I am working on it.”

“I know, baby. I appreciate you.” Kissing her girlfriend on the cheek, Crystal said, “Do you want to start telling me what’s wrong? There’s no way a gross dead body is making you this scared. A stranger at the door isn’t making you this nervous. What is going on, babe?” 

“You’re absolutely correct. This is going to be a lot, but please let me finish before you say anything.”

“Okay.”

“As I said, it’s a lot of information at once. Do you remember when you joked about the animal attacks being werewolves? Well, you were absolutely correct, love. That’s why the day that you came to the funeral home I appeared so shaken. Because I was. It’s not often that I see werewolves. They tend to stay out west, so having them in Chicago was extremely surprising.”

“Shit,” Crystal whispered. “There’s more, isn’t there?”

“Yes.”

“It’s Jaida. Oh, god.”

“Yes. Well, no. Yes, Jaida is a werewolf, but she is not the one killing. At least I don’t believe she is. It’s her pack.”

“There’s a pack?”

“The group of girls that came up to us at the opening of the exhibit. That’s her pack.”

“ _ Her _ pack? Is she like the alpha or something?” 

“They use the term ‘pack leader,’ I believe, but yes. It’s her pack.”

“And she’s okay with them just killing people?” Gigi looked at the ground. “You know what I mean.  _ You _ have a reason. Besides, you’ve gone full _ Dexter _ and only kill people who deserve it. I don’t think they do, do they?”

Gigi shook her head. “Not from what I can gather. It looks like it’s just whoever they come across on a full moon.”

“Have you had... experience with werewolves in the past?” 

“I came across some back in the seventies. Just one with no pack.”

“What happened?”

“I… took care of him.”

Crystal sighed. “Are you going to take care of Jaida?”

“Absolutely not. She is not at fault, and even if she was, I wouldn’t be able to hurt you like that.”

“What are you going to do?"

“There’s a council of vampires, representatives from each city, along with a few who float around to where they are needed. One of which is my maker, Nicky. She’s in the city to try to develop a plan of action. She’s coming over tomorrow, even though I asked her not to.”

“Why don’t you want her to come?”

“I would describe our dynamic through the decades as volatile.”

“You’ve never talked about your maker before.”

“I’m not particularly interested in my origin story.”

“Fair.” 

Anytime Crystal tried to pry and learn about Gigi’s past, she shut down. There were rare moments where Gigi would talk about her past life, and Crystal soaked up every moment. She also knew forcing those moments resulted in her girlfriend shutting down completely. 

“You should get some sleep,” Gigi said as Crystal let out a yawn.

“Good idea. If I’m going to meet your maker tomorrow.”

The next morning, Crystal couldn’t help but feel nervous about meeting Gigi’s maker. All she knew is that her name was Nicky and that she was from France. Other than that, Gigi’s transformation was not a topic of conversation. Just as she said, Gigi didn’t want to talk about her origins, and despite Crystal’s curiosity, she didn’t press further. 

While Crystal sat on the couch absentmindedly petting the cat, she said, “How pissed is Jackie that you’ve been missing so much work?”

“We haven’t been very busy. The holidays are when business is booming,” Gigi joked as she stood behind the couch. 

“I can’t stand you.”

Gigi jumped on the couch, wrapping her arms around Crystal. “You love me.”

Crystal tenderly kissed Gigi. “You’re right. I do. Very much.”

A knock on the door startled Crystal, causing her to break the kiss.

“I’ll get it,” Gigi murmured.

Crystal took a deep breath and shut her eyes for a moment. 

“Crystal, this is Nicky. Nicky, this is Crystal. Please, come in.”

In her head, Crystal had made up a vision of what she expected Nicky to look like. A statuesque blonde with model good looks was not what she had expected. 

“Nicky, it’s nice to meet my girlfriend’s creator.”

“Very nice to meet you Crystal,” Nicky purred. “Also, in France, we don’t say maker. We say  _ mère _ .”

“Wait, in France you call the person who turned you into a vampire your mother?” Crystal asked.

Gigi nodded. “It’s a little odd. I prefer the term ‘maker.’”

“I’d say that I’m more than just her  _ mère _ ,” Nicky said, looking Gigi from head to toe.

“What does _ that  _ mean?” 

“Don’t listen to anything she says, my love.”

“Wait…” Nicky began. “You didn’t tell her?”

Crystal tilted her head. “Tell me what?”

Nicky laughed. “Oh this is too fucking much. You didn’t tell your little human that we dated for forty years?”

“Is that what you call it?”

“ _ Excuse  _ me? First of all, I’m not her _ little human _ . I’m her girlfriend. We need to talk. Right now.” Crystal looked at Gigi before looking at Nicky. “Alone.”

Once they were alone in the hallway, Crystal said, “What the fuck, Gigi? We talked about sharing more and not lying.”

“I wouldn’t say that this was necessarily lying. In all honesty, I didn’t think it mattered. You’ve had exes that haven’t come up in conversation,” Gigi said calmly.

Crystal threw her hands up in frustration. “Un-fucking-believable. How are you so smart but so dense at the same time? I wouldn't care if this was some fling you had. But forty years? You didn’t think to tell me? For fuck’s sake, Gigi. It never once crossed your mind to think, ‘Oh maybe I should tell my girlfriend, who I call the love of my life, that I once dated a really fucking hot French girl for forty years.’”

Remaining calm, Gigi said, “I honestly didn’t consider what we had as dating."

“God, how are you so fucking clueless? The way you don’t even understand why I’m mad at you! Again!” Crystal stormed to the front door. 

Even though Crystal knew Nicky was staring at her from the kitchen table, and could hear every word that she was yelling at her girlfriend, she couldn’t care less. 

Gigi stopped Crystal, who had her hand on the door. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to Jan’s.”

“When will you be back?”

“What the fuck does it matter? I’m sick of the secrets. Or withholding the truth. Whatever the fuck you wanna call it. Gigi, do you remember what I said after the guy in the bathtub?”

Gigi felt her stomach drop. 

“You’re not really saying…”

“I don’t know Gigi. I don’t think so. But I need to calm down or I’ll do or say something I regret. Maybe you guys can fuck when I’m gone. You know, for old time sake or whatever the fuck.” Crystal looked at the French woman and as she slammed the door said, “Nice meeting you. Bye.”

“She’s fiery, that’s for sure,” Nicky said, making herself at home on the couch.

“Why did you have to say that?”

“I’m just in shock you haven’t told her. You can’t tell me what we had meant nothing,” Nicky said, reaching to stroke Gigi’s face, who immediately grabbed her wrist with enough force to break a human’s.

“It was nothing. You filled the time, that’s all.”

“That’s not what you said in ‘52,” Nicky purred. 

“I have no idea what you mean,” Gigi said coldly.

“If I remember, you told me you loved me.”

Gigi looked down. “That was a lifetime ago. Things have changed. Massively. I’m different.”

“Maybe so. Maybe you’ve found a little girlfriend you like to play house with. But, at the end of the day, you’re a vampire. You can’t deny nature. And what happens when she gets old? Are you just gonna watch her die? The council told me you own a funeral home now, which is cute, but also appropriate. Before you know it, she’ll die of old age. That’s if something else doesn’t kill her first.” 

In all honesty, Crystal’s humanity wasn’t something that came up often. There were times she tried to talk about it, but Gigi refused. It wasn’t something that she didn’t want to think about. 

“You can’t tell me you haven’t at least thought about it.” 

Gigi sighed. “Yes.”

“Well?”

“I don’t want to watch her die, but I also don’t want to condemn her to this existence.”

“You can’t have your cake and eat it too, Gigi.”

“We haven’t figured out the… logistics.”

“You’re going to have to figure that out eventually. A human’s lifetime is like a blink of an eye to us. You know that.”

Biting her lip, Gigi hated to admit how right Nicky was. 

When Crystal finally arrived at Jan and Jackie’s apartment, night had fallen. People stared at her on the train as tears ran down her face. 

How could Gigi hurt her again?

“Crystal?” Jan asked as she answered the door. “Oh, honey, what’s wrong?”

Jan led Crystal onto the couch as she cried into the blonde’s shoulder. 

“Crystal? What’s wrong?” Jackie asked as she sat on the other side of the couch. 

“Gigi lied to me about something pretty big. Again. And it’s probably stupid, but it fucking hurts. She already did something else really bad, and I told her that I was done if something happened again.”

“Did she cheat?” Jan whispered.

“No.”

“Then what?” 

“The first time… It’s hard to explain what she did. But trust me. It was bad. Really, really bad. I almost broke up with her. Basically, this time she lied about an ex, but claimed up and down for ages that she was just a friend. But they dated for a while. It was a lot more serious than what she led on. And then I met her. She was fucking gorgeous, and there was some sort of weird spark that I could see between the two of them and-” Crystal started crying too hard to talk.

“Shh, it’s okay,” Jan cooed as she rubbed her back. 

Jackie shook her head in disbelief. “I know she’s my boss but that’s messed up.”

Jan looked up. “To be fair, she’s been straight up nasty to you. Sorry, Crystal.”

“No, no, I know. She wasn’t always… the warmest person. But, I thought she changed. She said she changed. There’s too many… secrets between us. I don’t like it.”

“Secrets?” Jackie asked, holding Crystal’s hand. 

“It’s… It’s really complicated. But yeah, lots of secrets.” 

“What kind of secrets, Crystal?” Jan asked.

“It’s hard to explain. I know that’s vague, but it’s all I can say right now.”

“Well if you want to talk it out, I’m here.”

Crystal looked down at her phone and sighed. Four missed calls and six texts. She locked her phone and put it back in her pocket.

“She trying to call?” Jackie asked.

“I don’t know how else to tell her when shit like this happens that I don’t want to talk. I want to cool down. Or I’m going to say something I regret. She always stays so calm during shit like this, and it almost makes me even more pissed than I already am.”

“You’re just a Scorpio queen, that’s all,” Jan joked.

“Plus, that girl is unshakeable. She’s always calm. I have no idea how she does it. I see it all the time at work,” Jackie agreed. 

Once Crystal calmed down, she looked at Jackie, and then at Jan. “Thank you both.”

“Of course,” Jackie said.

“Always.”

“How’s the baby?” Crystal asked, looking at Jan’s abdomen. 

Jan rubbed her stomach. “Almost to the second trimester.”

“You’re gonna be the cutest little pregnant lady!” Crystal exclaimed. “I’m so happy for you both.”

“You’re gonna be such a good aunt to her.”

“Her? You don’t know that yet,” Jackie said.

“I have a feeling.”

Crystal exhaled as she glanced at her phone. “We’re on call number six. I think I should take this one.”

“We’ll give you some privacy.”

“What is it, Gigi?” Crystal answered. 

“Are you willing to talk to me?”

“Is  _ she _ still at the apartment?” 

“No.”

Crystal sighed and rubbed her eye. “Fine.”

“I promise, I will explain everything.”

“Yeah, sure,” Crystal said, hanging up. 

“How’s everything?” Jackie asked.

“We’re gonna go talk.”

“Let me drive you back to your apartment, Crystal,” Jackie offered. “No need to take the train.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to inconvenience you.”

“Crystal, Jan and I had no plans other than to watch  _ Chopped  _ all night. It’s okay,” Jackie said as she grabbed her coat.

“Okay. Let me text her.”

Despite Jan and Crystal becoming fast friends, Crystal and Jackie were still at the acquaintance level. For a few minutes of the car ride, neither woman said anything.

“So, how’s work been?” Crystal asked in an attempt to break the silence.

“It’s been good. Not very busy. Which is a good thing right?” Jackie laughed, keeping her eyes on the road. “Gigi usually mentions that the holidays are coming up. She’s got an… interesting sense of humor.”

“She does.”

“Sorry. You probably don’t want to talk about her right now, do you?” Jackie turned her head slightly to make eye contact.

“I just feel betrayed by her. You know her well enough to know that she doesn’t open up to anyone. She was doing a good job with me, but then… I don’t know.”

“Considering that for the first half of our working relationship, I didn’t know a single fact about her, I’m not surprised. But she clearly loves you. I see the way she looks at you.”

Crystal tapped the side panel of the car absentmindedly. “I know she does. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that she hasn’t dated in a while. Now her ex has decided to drop in after literal years. Her name’s Nicky. Not that it matters. Anyway, she’s mentioned Nicky as someone she lived with and was friends with but decided it wasn’t important to mention that they dated for as long as they did.”

“Gotcha. Is she from Chicago too?”

“This girl looks like a fucking model and is from France. She’s got the accent and everything.”

“France?”

“Fucking  _ France _ ,” Crystal said rolling her eyes. 

“I don’t really know what to say, because I know nothing I say is gonna make you feel any better, but I’m sorry. But, if this happens again, and I hope it doesn’t, you’re always welcome to our guest room.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

Jackie and Crystal looked ahead as traffic came to a standstill.

“Must be an accident or something,” Crystal murmured.

“Yeah, probably.”

“I’m only a few minutes from the apartment. I can walk, then you can U-turn and go back around. You’ve got a pregnant wife and reruns of  _ Chopped _ to go watch.”

“You sure?”

“Yes! I’ll be fine. I walk everywhere, so I have a pocket knife.”

“Okay. If you’re sure. Text Jan when you make it home.”

Crystal smiled. “I will.”

Opening the door carefully, Crystal got out of Jackie’s SUV as she weaved through parked cars. Chicago in November was always freezing. The first snow hadn’t fallen yet, but was due to any day. 

Crystal exhaled as she planned what she was going to say to Gigi. Her breath was visible as she tried to warm herself by rubbing her upper arms. She was still a few minutes away from the apartment, and although she knew it was a bad idea, she knew she could cut off some time if she cut through an alley. It was something she did often, but usually during the daytime. 

Almost immediately, Crystal regretted her decision. The alley normally had flecks of light from the surrounding street lamps, but not tonight. She felt her heartbeat increase. Trying to steady her breathing, she shut her eyes and stood in place momentarily before opening her eyes. 

At the end of the alley, she should see two figures who were approaching. 

Crystal knew there was one thing she could do.

_ Run. _

While Gigi sat at the kitchen table, she felt as though something was wrong. When Crystal needed her space, she was always sure to give it to her, even if her frustrations weren’t geared towards her specifically. But this time, it took everything in Gigi’s power to not speed to Jan and Jackie’s apartment and demand for Crystal to talk.

That would have the exact opposite effect of what she wanted. Besides, Gigi was almost certain that Jan didn’t like her. She wasn’t quite sure what she did to warrant the dislike, but she still tread lightly around the blonde. 

Still, Gigi felt like something was off. Even if Crystal did agree to come home, Gigi found herself timing the car ride from Jan and Jackie’s to their apartment. It had been the normal thirteen minutes, and Crystal still wasn’t home. She told herself she’d give it seven minutes before she started panicking. 

_ Five. _

_ Six. _

_ Seven. _

Gigi exhaled as she grabbed her coat. 

Walking the streets at night was something Gigi was familiar with. Walking the streets with a sense of urgency and a feeling of fear in the pit of her stomach was not. Usually when Gigi was walking around during the night, she was the predator, but tonight she had the sinking feeling her girlfriend was the prey. 

She knew the routes Crystal took well, since they often took them together. It felt odd to be walking the same routes without having her arms around her girlfriend in an feeble attempt to keep her warm. 

When Gigi passed the alley that Crystal took as a shortcut, she’d hoped to the gods she didn’t believe in that she didn’t take that route.

Scanning the alley, it took Gigi’s eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness. Heightened vision was another perk of vampirism. 

Gigi had seen plenty of unpleasant sights in her lifetime, but seeing the woman she loved laying in an abandoned alley was one of the worst. 

“Fuck,” Gigi muttered under her breath as she ran to her girlfriend. 

“Gigi?” Crystal managed.

Gigi used her phone’s flashlight to examine Crystal’s injuries. They were cuts, clearly from a human all up and down Crystal’s torso. The cuts were deep enough that it was hard to see anything other than pools of blood. Her jacket was completely shredded leaving only fragments of fabric. Blood stained the concrete below her. 

“What happened?”

“Jaida’s pack. They…” Crystal trailed off.

For a moment, Gigi saw red. She and Nicky had to take care of those bitches and soon. But that was for later. Crystal was losing blood, and fast. Gigi had two options. She could either take Crystal to the hospital, and they’d have to explain an animal attack that happened in the middle of the city. Or, she could give Crystal her blood. 

Gigi stroked Crystal’s face as she sat. “Darling, I need you to stay with me and listen to me okay?”

“Hmm?”

“I can either take you to the hospital, or I can give you my blood.”

“Blood.”

“You’ll be connected to me.”

Saying it out loud, Gigi realized how that wasn’t a terrible idea. Crystal was in danger. This way she’d be able to keep an eye on her much more easily. 

“I want blood. Save me, baby. It hurts.”

“I know, my love. I know. Are you sure?”

Crystal nodded weakly. “Please.”

Gigi bit her wrist and squeezed so the blood would flow faster. 

Offering her wrist to Crystal she said, “Here. Drink.”

Crystal hesitated before lapping a few drops of blood before gagging and pulling away.

“I know it doesn’t taste good. Love, you have to drink it.”

As Crystal continued drinking, the claw marks started fading way before disappearing entirely. The color returned to Crystal's face as she pulled away. 

“Holy shit,” Crystal exhaled as she rested her head on Gigi’s shoulder.

“Let’s get you home.”

Gigi and Crystal sat curled up on the couch as Gigi tried her best to calm Crystal down. 

“What happened, love?”

“Jackie was driving me home, but the traffic was backed up so I decided to walk the rest of the way, since I was close. I decided to take the shortcut. In hindsight, that was fucking stupid of me.”

“It wasn’t stupid. You always take that shortcut.”

“Yeah, well. I felt like I was being watched, and I tried to run,” Crystal explained as tears began to form in her eyes. “And before I knew it two of the girls in Jaida’s pack were attacking me.”

“Shh, it’s okay, you’re okay,” Gigi whispered, stroking Crystal’s hair. “You’re safe, and that’s all that matters.”

“I know.”

Gigi hesitated. “Love, I am so, so sorry that I didn’t tell you Nicky and I were involved romantically. It feels like lifetimes ago, but that’s no excuse. Your anger and frustrations at me are completely valid, and I am so sorry.”

“Thank you. I forgive you. I blew up. I shouldn’t have.”

“No, you have nothing to apologize for, love.”

Crystal sighed. “Like you said. I’m safe. That’s all that matters.”

Gigi leaned down to kiss her. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. So, about this bond that we have…”

“I’ll be able to feel when you’re in danger, and to an extent your emotions. It’ll be much easier for me to find you if you’re in danger.”

“Am I in danger?” 

“I’m not certain. I need to talk to… her about everything.”

“You can say her name, Gigi.”

“Nicky and I need to regroup and figure things out.”

“Are you going to kill them?”

“I don’t know,” Gigi admitted. “I don’t want it to come to that.”

“I don’t either.”

Gigi stroked Crystal’s hair until she drifted off to sleep. Once her girlfriend was asleep, Gigi thought deeply about what the best course of action was. 

She knew she wanted no harm to come to Jaida, if avoidable, knowing deep down it may be inevitable. Nicky could be bloodthirsty at times, as could the council. To be fair, Gigi used to be ruthless, killing for the fun of it. But she’d changed. Things were different. But neither Nicky nor the council would understand the shift. 

A knock on the door startled Crystal awake. She looked at her watch. “It’s midnight. What the fuck. It’s not Nicky again is it?”

Gigi shook her head. “She’s coming over tomorrow. Stay here. I’ll get it.”

Gigi exhaled as she opened the door. She didn’t know who she thought it would be, but she didn’t think it would be an extremely disheveled Jaida. 

“You’re in danger. I’m here to help,” she said. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on tumblr @themetaluna


	10. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaida has the difficult choice to stand behind her pack sisters, or to warn her newfound friend of the danger she's in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW WOW, I still exist. I've been busy with school, work, and my personal life. I'm back! I know this chapter is quite a bit shorter than normal, but I promise more is coming. xoxo
> 
> As always thank you to Juno, my queen of a beta reader 
> 
> tw: gore, death, weed

_ Last August _

Once she loaded the last suitcase in her car, Jaida slammed the hatch and sighed. She blinked tears away before shutting her eyes completely, a bad idea in hindsight. Anytime she closed her eyes, all she could see was her mother and grandmother’s bodies. 

And the blood. So much blood. 

She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. 

“Baby, are you okay?”

“Fuck!”

Jaida exhaled when she saw it was Scarlet. 

“Sorry,” Jaida said, rubbing her temples.

“I miss them too, baby,” Scarlet whispered as she rubbed Jaida’s back. 

“I don’t know how to lead this pack,” Jaida confided through tears. “I’m scared. I’m not ready. It shouldn’t be me. It should be Kam or Brooke or _ anyone _ but me.”

“Hey, Jai. Stop. I know that you didn’t expect to become pack leader this soon… You didn’t want this to happen right now-”

“I didn’t want it _ ever _ ! I thought I’d have time to try to accept the fact that I’d lead a fucking pack, but nope! Goddamn, maybe if I fuck up enough I’ll get ran out of the pack. Less stress that way.”

“Jaida, you don’t mean that,” Scarlet said firmly. 

“I know. Everything’s changing, and I don’t know what to do. It’s just way too much way too fast. If I can’t sell any more art or get some big break, who knows what’s going to happen. I’ll have to eat my paintbrushes or some shit.”

“It’s gonna work out, baby. And even if by some off chance it doesn’t, you’ll have all of us by your side,” she motioned to her sisters who were loading the last of their boxes and bags.

“Maybe you should give like a pep talk or something,” Scarlet whispered.

Jaida groaned. “You’re right.”

Scarlet squeezed her sister’s hand. “You got this, baby.”

Jaida cleared her throat. “Can I talk to y’all?”

“Of course,” Vanessa said as she moved closer. “What’s up?”

Once everyone gathered, Jaida began. “I know that no one _planned_ this. We didn’t plan to pack up and leave within two days. No one asked for my mom and grandma to-” Jaida’s voice cracked before tears began to stream down her face. “It wasn’t their time. It wasn’t…” 

“She and your grandma were incredible,” Yvie whispered as she rubbed Jaida’s back. “I cannot imagine the pain you're feeling right now.”

Jaida exhaled deeply as she composed herself. “We lost two amazing women before their time. I know that I have never been one to be a leader. Shit, if I had it my way, any one of you would lead this pack instead.”

Kameron began to say something, but Vanessa smacked her hand.

“I know I can do this.” 

Jaida suddenly felt a fire light inside of her. She could feel her grandma and mother watching her. She continued fiercely. “This is in my blood. You are my sisters. We will get through this together. This isn’t what we asked for, but I think Chicago is going to be a fresh start. We’re going to get through this and we’re going to end up on top. I just hope I can make my mom and granny proud.”

“You will,” Scarlet reassured. 

“I’ll be back. I need to go clean myself up. Be back soon.”

The moment Jaida walked away, Kameron whispered to Brooke. “Absolutely not. We can’t let this happen.” 

“No, we can’t. She’s gonna run this pack into the ground,” Brooke whispered back. 

_ Present Day _

_ Jaida was coming home from her job at a roadside diner. It was a good night for tips. She was a great waitress, but that particular night had been an even better night for tips. She smiled as she thought about the stories her regulars had told her earlier that night.  _

_ Living with her mother and grandmother was not something Jaida particularly wanted, but it was a tradition with the women in her family for generations. Since her father passed, her bond to her grandmother and mother had become even stronger. _

_ Parking her SUV in the driveway, Jaida’s hand hovered over the door knob when she noticed it was open. Her heart began beating faster, she exhaled sharply. The full moon was close enough that she’d have the energy of the moon on her side, meaning she could easily take on an intruder if needed. But she sure as she didn’t want to.  _

_ Flipping the lightswitch on, she saw that the breezeway was completely untouched.  _

_ “Hello?” Jaida called.  _

_ No response. _

_ “Mom? Granny?”  _

_ No response. _

_ Stepping cautiously through the house, she felt more and more anxiety run through her veins with each step. Her heart was pounding so fast and loud that she was sure she wouldn’t be able to hear an intruder. Jaida grew even more worried when she saw not so much as a houseplant was out of place.  _

_ And then she made it into the kitchen. _

_ When she flipped the lightswitch on, it took a moment before she realized what she saw. The entire floor was covered in blood. Jaida wanted to look away, but she couldn’t.  _

_ Trying to steady her breath as she walked way further into the kitchen, she saw them.  _

_ The bodies of her grandmother and mother lay on the floor, eyes opened, their blood pooled around their necks.  _

_ She tried to scream but no words would come out. _

Jaida sprung up in bed covered in sweat. 

“Fuck,” she whispered as she checked the time on her phone. 

Sleep was something Jaida used to look forward to. Ever since the attack, it was something she dreaded. She sighed as she rummaged through her nightstand drawer to find the supplies to pack her bowl. 

Taking a hit, Jaida sighed. She knew she was neglecting her responsibility as pack leader. The pack made sure she knew. 

Scarlet spoke to her first. Just after the opening of the exhibit, one day at lunch, she mentioned gently to Jaida that she was being absent as a pack leader. Jaida, who was so busy with the exhibit, hadn’t even realized she was neglecting her sisters. 

Next was Vanessa. A few weeks after Scarlet, she waited until she and Jaida were home alone together. Despite Jaida’s best attempts to change the subject, Vanessa forced her to acknowledge the fact that she had been absent as a sister. 

Vanessa’s harshness was nothing compared to Kameron’s. Her words echoed in Jaida’s head as she drifted off to sleep once more. 

_ “We need to talk. Now,” Kameron said one day. “Alone.” _

_ “I already know what you’re going to say, Kameron.” _

_ “If you know, why aren’t you doing a damn thing? You’re failing this pack.” _

_ “Life’s been hard, it’s…” Jaida rubbed her temples.  _

_ “Jaida, there comes a point that you have to get over it.” _

_ “You mean get over my mom and granny getting fucking murdered? Do you want me to tell you all about how I found them with their throats ripped out in my fucking kitchen?” _

_ “You have a responsibility to this pack. Look… I’m sorry they’re gone. Really. I am. But you have a duty, which you need to fulfil. If you don’t… Someone else will. It won’t end well for you.” _

_ “What’s that supposed to mean?” _

_ Kameron left without answering her question.  _

_ “Kameron!” _

Jaida woke with a gasp, groaning when she accepted she wouldn’t be getting any more sleep. 

_ Might as well be productive.  _

She hadn’t created any art since the exhibit opened. Although she knew she could ride the high from the exhibit for a few months, she needed to feel creative again. As she sat in front of the easel, she closed her eyes, envisioning what she wanted to paint, but came up blank. 

The looming full moon heightened many of Jaida’s senses. Unfortunately for her, creativity was not one of them. 

Maybe sketching could give her a spark of inspiration. 

While sitting at her desk, all she could think about was warning Crystal and Gigi. Well, warning Crystal. Jaida was almost positive Gigi didn’t like her, and she wasn’t sure if it was because of the lycanthropy or if the vampire didn’t like her for some other reason. 

Jaida couldn't help but feel as though she was committing treason. She knew her loyalty should stand with her pack, but all she could hear was Kameron’s voice in her head. God only knew how much time she had before “it didn’t end well for her.”

Pushing the thought out of her head, Jaida could feel the anticipation of the full moon take over. Before Jaida knew it, it was as though she was being puppeted. By what, she was uncertain. Probably the moon’s energy. As a child, Jaida was constantly told folklore by her grandma that portrayed the moon as a goddess. 

As she sketched, Jaida thought about her first time transforming. 

_ “Maybe tonight will be the night,” Jaida’s mother murmured, braiding her daughter’s hair. _

_ Jaida sighed. “You’ve said the same thing every full moon for like six years now. Part of me wonders if somehow it skipped a generation.” _

_ Jaida’s mom stopped braiding her hair to look at her. “That’s ridiculous.” _

_ Part of Jaida wanted to transform just so her sisters would stop teasing her. As her sisters began to transform every moon, they would make snide comments about how Jaida was never going to turn. Her grandma called her a late bloomer, but Jaida was sure she was past a late bloomer. A late bloomer generally transformed for the first time at around age eighteen. Jaida was twenty one and still hadn’t transformed.  _

_ That night in the woods, Jaida felt a spark of energy. She shut her eyes and exhaled deeply. _

_ “Tonight’s the night,” Jaida’s grandma whispered. _

_ “You think so? Why?” _

_ “You have the energy from the moon. It’s radiating off of you. You’re glowing.” _

_ “I don’t know…” _

_ “Give it about fifteen minutes and you’ll know,” Yvie said as she took off her top.  _

_ The first time Jaida had to get naked in front of her pack, she felt extremely self conscious. This was only made worse when her sisters began to transform each month. The inner wolf made each member of the pack much more athletically built, a stark contrast to Jaida’s slender body. _

_ After a while, it was something she got used to. As she removed her bra, she couldn’t help but notice the energy her grandmother mentioned. Her senses felt sharpened. Suddenly she could hear the rustling of each and she could smell every scent in the air as the hair on her arms stood on end.  _

_ Her grandma was right.  _

_ Just as Jaida felt the gentle breeze on her skin, she felt a sharp pain radiate, first in her back before wrapping all the way around her. It felt as though she were shedding her skin like a snake. She screamed in agony as she could feel the bones in her legs and arms snap and elongate. The pain turned into pleasure as she couldn’t help but let out a moan. _

_ She looked around at her pack who were all staring at her. They hadn’t started transforming yet; they were too busy watching Jaida.  _

_ “Let it take you over,” Kameron said fiercely. “It’s the best feeling in the world. Better than sex. Let it overtake you.” _

_ “Don’t fight it,” Brooke instructed. “The wolf isn’t your enemy. She’s part of you.” _

_ “Breathe,” Vanessa instructed.  _

_ “I’m so proud of you,” Jaida’s mother said. _

_ Despite her best efforts trying to reply, only snarls and growls came out. She looked down at her body, and before she could process she was covered in fur, she was on all fours.  _

_ Her heightened senses were growing stronger. Looking around, she saw her sisters had also transformed.  _

_ It wasn’t before long that the wolf’s instincts took over and she ran off into the night.  _

Jaida blinked a few times as she felt herself return to her body. Exhaling, Jaida looked at the sketch she’d made of the night sky, a glowing moon in the corner. 

Crystal sat at her desk wondering why her girlfriend was acting so strange. Gigi wasn’t herself, and it showed. She claimed it was a dead body in bad shape, but Gigi left bodies in worse shape, she was sure. 

Whenever Crystal had a lot on her mind, she sketched whatever came to her mind. It helped clear her head. But this time was different. It was as though a being had taken control of her. She felt like she wasn’t the one moving her pen. Before she knew it, she sketched a nightscape, complete with a full moon. 

Jaida decided the sketch was good enough to translate onto a canvas. Before Jaida knew it, it was dark outside, and her roommates were nowhere to be seen. Every night they had an excuse as to why they spent the night with Kameron and Brooke. 

The moment after she admired her work, her thoughts drifted back to Crystal. Even though they hadn’t known each other that long, Jaida genuinely liked Crystal. She didn’t want anything to happen to the woman, especially not at the hands of her own pack. 

There were whispers among the pack that they wanted to make Gigi pay for whatever they felt she did wrong. To Jaida, Gigi did nothing wrong, simply other than exist. That was too much for the pack, apparently. More than once had Jaida heard the pack whisper about the “fucking fanger” and her “fang banger.” 

Anxiously, she tapped her desk and bit her lip. She felt the blood stream down her lower lip, but also knew it’d heal quickly. 

As a pack, her sisters were able to do plenty of damage, especially near a full moon. In her mind, all she could see was the pack ripping Gigi and Crystal to shreds. 

She had to do something.

Jaida threw an oversized flannel over her pajamas she hadn’t changed out of, and headed into the night. Crystal had mentioned where her apartment was located. Finding the apartment number would be a different story.

As Jaida haphazardly wandered through the complex, she stopped dead in her tracks and inhaled deeply. She could smell a vampire. 

Perusing the hallway, Jaida stopped in front of a door. The scent of vampire scent was too strong for it not to be Gigi and Crystal’s apartment. 

Taking a deep breath and shutting her eyes, Jaida knocked on the apartment door. 

Once the door opened Jaida felt a wave of fear when she saw Gigi. She’d hoped Crystal would have been the one to answer. Still, she managed to blurt, “You’re in danger. I’m here to help.”

“Come in,” Gigi said sweetly. 

Too sweetly. 

It happened so quickly, Jaida had no time to react. Before she could blink, she was being pressed to a wall with Gigi’s forearm against her throat. 

“You did this,” she snarled. 

“Babe!” Crystal screamed. “Stop it. Stop it right the fuck  _ now _ .”

With the moon on her side, the wolf was able to escape the vampire’s vice grip. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Jaida exclaimed. “What’d I do? I did nothing wrong. I’ve been in my fucking apartment the entire day. I’m in my fucking pajamas. Are you insane? I'm trying to _help_ you!”

“Then why did I find her,” Gigi motioned toward her girlfriend. “bleeding out in an alley? I don’t think you can comprehend quite what it’s like to find someone you love in a puddle of their fucking blood.”

Jaida hesitated. “Not in an alley, no. In a kitchen, and not bleeding. Dead. But that’s a story for another time.”

“Jaida,” Crystal murmured, getting off the couch to hug her. 

“I’m fine. But, Gigi, I swear to the moon that I didn’t do it. It had to have been the pack.”

“Why can’t you keep the _ bitches _ under control?” 

Jaida rolled her eyes at the slur. “It’s my fault. I know it is. And I am so sorry Crystal. I can’t imagine how you feel right now.”

“Don’t,” Crystal whispered. “I don’t even know how to feel. I don’t know what I feel. Every time I close my eyes I just see them attacking me.”

“I am so, so sorry,” Jaida whispered back. 

Crystal ignored the comment and looked at Gigi before addressing Jaida. “What do we do?” 

“Well, the pack wants you dead, Gigi. Or at the very least, they want to hurt you, and they know that the easiest way to hurt you is through Crystal.” 

Crystal tensed. 

“Do you have any bright ideas?” Gigi questioned. 

“You said something about a vampire council. I know they probably don’t want to help me, but if you’re in danger, will they help?”

“I’ll make some phone calls.”

“It’s so late,” Jaida said.

Gigi raised an eyebrow.

“Oh. Right. Creatures of the night and shit.”

“Right. Well. I’m going to go make those calls,” Gigi said as she walked into her bedroom. 

Crystal sat on the couch and motioned for Jaida to join. “Jai… How much trouble are we in?”

“Do you want the truth?” 

“Fuck,” Crystal sighed as tears ran down her face.

Jaida, who had no idea how to comfort people, awkwardly squeezed Crystal’s hand and said, “It’s okay. We’ll figure it out.”

“We will?”

“Yes,” Jaida managed to say, knowing she didn’t believe her words.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, follow me on tumblr @themetaluna


End file.
